History
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THE LIBRARY
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THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
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A
HISTORY
OF
NORTHUMBERLAND
ISSUED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF
THE NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY HISTORY
COMMITTEE
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY ANDREW REID & COMPANY, LIMITED
LONDON
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, & COMPANY, LIMITED
1896
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A
History of Northumberland
s.
VOLUME III
HEXHAMSHIRE: Part I
By ALLEN B. HINDS M.A.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY ANDREW REID & COMPANY, LIMITED
LONDON
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, & COMPANY, LIMITED
1896
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TVNE
ANDREW REIP & COMPANY, LIMITED, PRINTING COURT BUILDINGS
PREFACE.
Northumberland, it is well to remember, is the fifth of English counties
in area ; the division of it which was early marked bv the two dioceses
of Lindisfarne and Hexham, and continued through the Middle Ages with
the Coquet as a civil boundary, enters into practical modern life in the
divergent interests of those who travel to their homes from Newcastle
by the north or the west lines of railway. From the very first, the
committee were of opinion that the work of writing the history of the
county ought not to be restricted for a series of years to North Northum-
berland, but that their subscribers in the Tyne valleys should be equally
benefited. Possibly, however, this idea would not have taken practical
shape, had not the Rev. J. Raine most generously placed at the disposal
of the committee the great stores of material relating to the town and
shire of Hexham which he had for many years been collecting at York.
The fact that Hexhamshire so long formed a distinct regality has
caused its history to be all but a sealed book to many, even among
those best acquainted with the annals of the rest of the county. Thus,
although there was but little to add to the history of the priory of
Hexham to supplement the information already published in Mr. Raine's
standard work on the annals of that house, and in Mr. C. C. Hodges'
architectural monograph, it was felt that immediate advantage should be
taken of Mr. Raine's generosity.
The present volume treats of the regalitv in general and of the
town of Hexham in particular, leaving the remainder of the ancient shire,
as well on the north as on the south of the Tvne, to be dealt with
in the sequel.
The change of scene from the sea-lashed rocks of Bamburgh and
Dunstanburgh to the tranquil meeting of the waters of the North and
7735S8
VI PREFACE.
South Tyne, and the contrast between a story mainly occupied with the
knightly families of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and one
entering largely into the daily rounds of a small provincial town in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is not, however, the first thing that
will strike the readers of this volume. Unfortunately, the committee
have found it impossible to continue issuing volumes so considerably
under cost price as their lirst two. Resolved on no account to narrow the
scope or lower the standard of their work, they have been compelled to
reduce the size of their volumes and to incur less expense in illustrations.
The reasons for this curtailment require to be the more clearly explained
as the present volume happens to be the first issued under a new editor.
In addition to furnishing copies of so many documents from the
archives at York, Mr. Raine has exercised a kind supervision over the
whole volume, and has also allowed the committee to make use of
numerous woodcuts from his Hexham Priory. The Rev. William
Greenwell has presented a plate of the Acca cross now in the Chapter
Library at Durham, and both he and Mr. Crawford Hodgson have
continued the same cordial assistance which contributed so much to the
success of the former volumes.
Mr. Edmund Garwood has again come forward as a most able
exponent of the geology of the district ; and the dialect and agriculture
have been treated respectively by two specialists : Mr. R. O. Heslop
and Professor Somerville. For the architectural descriptions of the priory
and of the two towers, the committee have availed themselves of
Mr. C. C. Hodges' professional services. Mr. J. P. Gibson has again
prepared the negatives for the photogravure engravings.
To Mr. W. C. B. Beaumont, M.P., the committee are indebted for
the use of the long series of Manor Rolls, for the examination of which
Messrs. Dees & Thompson of Newcastle, and Messrs. R. J. & W.
Gibson of Hexham offered courteous facilities. The committee further
PREFACE. VU
desire to return their sincere thanks for the aid that they have received
in various forms from the Duke of Northumberland and the Earl Percy,
from the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and from the
Rev. E. H. Adamson, the Rev. H. C. Barker, Mr. T. J. Bewick, Mr.
T. Bosworth, the Very Rev. J. A. Cooke, Mr. J. M. Fothergill, Mr.
James Hardy, Mr. F. Haverfield, F.S.A., Mr. J. O. Head, Mr. J. J.
Kirsopp of the Spital, Mr. L. C. Lockhart, the Rev. R. E. Mason, the
Rev. F. Richardson, Mr. John Ridley, Mr. Robert Robson, parish clerk
of Hexham, the Rev. C. P. Sherman, and Mr. W. A. Temperley.
During the past year the County History has lost two of its most
valued supporters. Mr. William Woodman was the last living link that
connected it with the original enterprise of the Rev. John Hodgson, and
he always took the warmest and most active interest in both undertakings.
Mr. Nathaniel George Clayton was one of the earliest and most munificent
subscribers to the guarantee fund, the necessity for which becomes every
day more apparent if the committee are to finish their labours in a manner
worthy of the traditions of the county.
l/,^
CONTENTS.
PACE.
Preface ... ... ... ... ... ... ... v
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Hexhamshire ... ... ... ... ... ... I
Geology ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 2
Lead Mines ... ... ... ... ... ... 9
Agriculture ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 13
Dialect ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 17
History of the Regality ... ... ... ... ... 20
Survey of 1547 ... ... ... ... ... 66
Survey of 1608 ... ... ... ... ... ... 86
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
The Church and Priory of St. Andrew ... ... ... 105
Description of the Church ... ... ... ... ... 177
The Churches of St. Mary and St. Peter ... ... ... 200
Non-Established Churches ... ... ... ... ... 205
The Free Grammar School... ... ... ... ... 211
The Two Towers ... ... ... ... ... ... 225
History of the Borough ... ... ... ... ... 236
Means of Communication ... ... ... ... ... 262
Trade ... ... ... ... ... ... 267
Local Government ... ... ... ... ... 275
Personal History ... ... ... ... ... 295
Streets and Houses ... ... ... ... ... 305
THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GH^ES.
The Hospital of St. Giles ... ... ... ... ... 309
APPENDICES, Etc.
.^PPENDI.X I.
Appendix II.
Appendix III. ...
Appendix IV.
Appendix V. ...
Index
314
facing page
314
315
facing page
315
...
316
...
173
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Hexham Abbey Church from the North-west
Hexham Seals
Arms for War of Thomas, Lord Dacre...
The Choir, Hexham Abbey Church
Supposed Tomb of King Elfwald
The Dance of Death (paintings on the Rood Screen)
Ancient Tombstone to a boy, puer Jurdanus
Tomb of Gilbert de Unifraville and his Wife
The Lavatory
Corner of Prior Leschman's Shrine
Miserere with Prior Woodhorne's Device
The Device of Prior Smithson
The Priory Gateway
South Transept, Hexham Abbey Church
The Acca Cross...
Plan of Hexham Abbey Church ...
Prior Leschman's Window (on north side of conventual buildings)
The Annunciation and Visitation (paintings on the Rood Screen) .
Arch of St. Mary's Church ...
The Free Grammar School
The Moot Hall ...
The Gaol or Manor Office
Hexham from the North-east
Roman Monument found in the Slype
The Frithstool ...
Hexham Abbey from the North-west
Old Houses formerly in Gilesgate
Fragment of Prre-Conquest date preserved in Hexham Church
The Spital Cross
The Blackett Level (Appendix IL)
Sections through the Stublick Coal-field (Appendix IV.)
PAGE.
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A
History of Northumberland,
HEXHAMSHIRE.
T'
*HE regality of Hexham seems, from the earliest times downwards, to
have been substantially of the same extent and area. Although no
exact account of its boundaries has come down to us, all the surveys extant
give sufficient indications to show that its limits have changed very little with
the course of time. The earliest document of this kind is the subsidy roll
of 1295, which includes Hexham, Rowley, Bingfield, Errington, Keepwick,
Fallowfield, Bewclay, Sandhoe, Anick, Wall, Acomb, Ninebanks, Catton,
and Allendale Town.^ A very similar list of places, with the addition of
Hallington, is given in the muster roll of the shire, taken early in the reign
of Henry VHL," and a reference to the surveys of 1547 and 1608^ will show
that they also were taken over the same area.
The district originally formed one parish under the mother church of St.
Andrew at Hexham. At the present day it comprises, besides the parish of
Hexham, the parishes of Allendale, Whitley, and St. John Lee, and the
chapelry of St. Oswald. On the south its frontier follows the boundary
between Northumberland and Durham. On the west, north, and east it is
adjacent to the parishes of Whitfield, Warden, Simondburn, Chollerton,
Thockerington, Kirkheton, Stamfordham, Corbridge, Slalev, and Shotley.
Its greatest length, from north to south, is twenty-four miles. Its breadth
varies from half a mile, near Bingfield East Quarter, to eleven miles, from
Hard Rigg to Riddlehamhope. At the point where Hexham itself stands,
and where the Tyne and the Newcastle and Carlisle railway traverse it, it is
three miles across. Further north, on the line of the Roman wall, its width
is five miles. The total area of the district is about ninetv-two square miles.
' See pp. 31-4. -' Hexham Priory (Surt. Soc), i. p. cviii. note. ' See pp. 66-104.
Vol. III. I
2 HEXHAMSHIRE.
The river Tyne divides Hexhamshire into two parts, the district on the
south being nearly three times as large as that on the north. On the
northern side the land rises abruptly from the river bank, and continues to
slope upwards until the Roman wall is reached, where it attains a height
varying from 700 to 860 feet above the sea level. It then slopes downwards
again, until at Hallington the elevation is only 450 to 500 feet above the sea
level.
On the southern side the country also rises as it recedes from the Tyne.
Here, however, the hills are intersected by deep valleys, those of the West
Dipton and Rowley burns running from west to east, and those of the East
and West Allen running from south to north. But the general trend of the
country is upwards, until at a point between Coalcleugh and Middlehope
Moors the height of 2,206 feet is attained. The village of Coalcleugh is said
to contain the highest inhabited houses in England.
The streams of the district are small and rapid, flowing between steep
and thickly-wooded banks. The East and West Allen, with numerous petty
affluents, meet at Hindlev Wrea, and flow northward into the Tvne. The
Devil's Water, which receives the Rowley and West Dipton burns, also flows
northwards into the Tvne, and forms for manv miles the eastern boundary
of the shire. On the north side the streams are few and insignificant. The
principal are the Birkev burn, which flows past Acomb into the Tyne at
St. John Lee ; and the Erringburn, which forms the north-west boundary of
the regality, and joins the North Tyne at Chollerton.
The restricted use of the word Hexhamshire to the modern parishes of
Hexham and Whitley, seems to date from the time of James I. ; before then
the term covered the whole regality. Since the abolition of its privileges
in 1572, however, and still more since the manor passed into private hands,
there has been a tendency towards disintegration, and the ancient unity of
the shire is now almost forgotten.
GEOLOGY.
Broadly speaking, the geological structure of Hexhamshire differs but
slightly from that of the districts described in the first two volumes of this
history. All the sedimentary rocks which rise to the surface belong to the
Carboniferous system, and, with the exception of two small outcrops, to the
GEOLOGY. 3
Millstone Grit and the ' Yoredale ' or Calcareous divisions of Northum-
berland.' The exceptions comprise two small semicircular outliers of true
Coal-measures of the Durham coal-field, occurring in the neighbourhood of
Stublick, on the north side of the great east and west Fault, known as the
Stublick dyke, which traverses this portion of the county.
Taken as a whole the beds lie evenly over the southern portion of the
district. The moorland summits are capped by outliers of Millstone Grit,
the valleys being eroded for the most part in the shales, sandstones, and
limestones of the underlying Yoredale series. This simplicity of arrange-
ment is, however, interrupted as we approach the Tyne to the north and
east of Allendale Town by important east and west faults, the Stublick dyke
and its offshoots. To the north of the Tyne also the beds are affected by
this disturbance, and dip southwards in places at angles of upwards of
15 degs., thus bringing to the surface in the northern extremity of the shire
limestone beds situated some distance down in the series.
In the main portion of the area, namely, that lying to the south of the
river Tyne, the lowest bed met with is the Four-fathom limestone which is
exposed on both banks of the West Allen, shortly before it receives the
tributary waters of the Mohope burn ; the highest beds exposed being the
' boulder ' and ' cannel ' coals overlving the ' Yard ' seam in the miniature
Stublick coal-field. To the north of the Tyne, however, the outcrops range
down to the Five-yard Limestone. The general trend of these lower beds,
which at first lie parallel to the Roman wall, is to the north-east, running
parallel to the Erringburn, which here marks the western boundary of the
shire. Further north, at Hallington, these beds lie due north and south.
North of the Stublick dyke, therefore, they are dipping in a southerly
direction, whilst immediately after crossing this disturbance we find the beds
on the south side also dipping towards the fault in an opposite or north-
north-easterly direction.
This fault, the great Stublick dyke, starting at Corbridge station on the
east, runs in a nearly straight line westward into Cumberland. The import-
ance of this disturbance, both from a geological and economic point of view,
is very considerable. Professor Lebour remarks : ' It throws the beds down
to the north, so as to bring the Coal-measures side by side with the base of
the Millstone Grit ; but it has another and still greater effect, for it causes
' Vol. i. app. i. pp. 16, 34, 25, 28, 34, 35.
4 HKXHAMSHIRK.
the beds north of it to dip down sharply towards itself. The result of this
alteration of dip, both in amount and direction, on the downthrow side of
the Stublick dvke has been twofold : first, it has altered the strike for several
miles from its course, so that all the beds as they approach the Corbridge
fold from the north and east instantly strike due west ; and, secondly, it
has allowed the preservation on its northern side, of a number of small,
true Coal-measure coal-fields, which (owing to the high dip near the fault)
comprise many more seams than their limited areas would lead one to
suppose. As usual with large faults, these and others parallel to them are
accompanied by a number of transverse dislocations with minor throws."
The greatest throw of this fault where it crosses the district under
notice is upwards of 1,200 feet, the beds below the Fell top Limestone
being brought into contact with the highest shales of the Stublick coalfield.
The general course of this fault across the shire is almost due east and
west; starting in the river Allen at Staward, it runs due east to High House,
passing a little to the south of Stublick ; it then sweeps slightly to the north
past the Paise, Black Hill, and Sunniside to Swallowship, where it crosses
the Devil's Water. At this latter point the fault can be clearly traced in the
bank of the river. In addition to the main fault, we find two parallel lines
of dislocation to the north and south of it respectively ; the northerly one
running from Langley castle past Threepwood, Ellfoot House, and Lang-
hope, and eventually dying out near Highwood House, about two miles
north-west of Hexham ; this fault brings in a small outlier of upper Mill-
stone Grit on its southern or downthrow side. The most southerly of
the three faults runs from a little north of Round Meadows due east to
Black House, near the junction of the Rowley burn with the Devil's Water,
thence it turns to the north-east, and crossing the latter river and curving
round to the north, runs out into the Stublick dyke. The throw of these
subsidiary faults is, however, slight, the chief effect in the case of the more
southerly one being to intensify the abruptness of the line of junction
between the Yoredale and the Millstone Grit beds to the west of the Devil's
Water. The main line of fault is plainly visible in the neighbourhood of
Stublick, notwithstanding the drift-covered character of the surface of the
country, a trough-hke depression of swampy ground marking the line where
the soft Coal-measure shales abut against the harder Yoredale strata.
' \'ol. i. app. i. 34, p. 5.
GEOLOGY.
In addition to the east and west faults described above, we find a series
of dislocations running in a general north and south direction, parallel to the
valleys of the East and West Allen. The chief of these is the northerly
extension of Great Burtreeford dyke, which runs from Rurtreeford, near the
head of Weardale, past Allenheads, and down the whole length of the East
Allen, until it runs out against the Stublick dyke at Staward. At Allen-
heads, where it has been intersected in the working of the Diana vein, it
throws down the beds on its western side 240 feet, whilst at Shaw House,
one and a half miles down the valley, it brings the Great Limestone against
the beds overlving the ' Firestone ' Sill, causing a displacement of upwards of
300 feet. Similarly in West Allendale, a fault, starting from the south
almost at the same point as the Burtreeford dyke, and passing in duplicate
through Killhope Moor as the Coal Cleugh Cross veins, runs down the
vale of the West Allen close to the river bed to Ninebanks. A mile above
this it is disturbed by a cross fault, and runs high up along the east side of
the valley as far as Harlow Bower, about a mile and a half above the
junction of the East and West Allen. In tracing these dislocations down
the valleys of the East and West Allen respectively, it is impossible not to
be struck by the coincidence between the general trend of the valleys in
question and the main lines of the faults, and it is difficult to resist the con-
clusion that these faults have influenced the position and direction of the
main lines of drainage. This coincidence is most marked in the case of the
West Allen, where for three miles between the Nook and Ninebanks the
fault practically coincides with the bed of the stream. In the case of the
East Allen the Burtreeford dyke follows a course parallel to the river, a
quarter of a mile from its west bank ; a parallel fault also starts at Sinder-
hope and runs along the east slope of the valley as far as Catton. This
connection between the lines of the fault and the drainage channels is also
displayed in the case of some of the cross faults in the district ; thus the
stream which has excavated the Studdon dene occupies the line of an
important dip fault, which has been intersected in the workings of the
Blackett level, at the base of the Studdon dene shaft. Similar cross faults
also occur at Sipton Shield and along Sinderhope burn.
If now we trace in detail the various beds of the Yoredale series,
beginning at the top, we find the Felltop Limestone forming a nearly
continuous outcrop along the slopes of the valley of the Devil's Water, south
6 HEXHAMSHIRE.
of the Stublick faults above Ordley, and also along the banks of the Knowles
burn and the Beldon burn in the extreme south-east corner of the county,
this being the only limestone which crops out on the surface in this portion
of the shire. Between Swinhope Shields and Allenheads, however, there
occurs a large spread of the Great Limestone which is abruptly cut off to the
west by the Burtreeford dyke. In the West Allen and in the Mohope burn
sections of the strata down to the Four-fathom Limestone are visible,
notably opposite The Nook. In the portion of the shire to the north of the
Tyne the Little Limestone and its underlying coal-seam are well developed
in the neighbourhood of the Roman wall, where several shafts have been
sunk to win the coal. At Fallowfield the Little Limestone, intersected by
the vein which traverses the country from Warden to Grottington, attains its
greatest measured thickness, i8 feet, and has been mined for lead. As
pointed out by Prof. Lebour,' the position of the coal-seam is variable in its
relation to the limestone. At Shieldon, Bardon Mill, and Matfen, it lies
directly below the limestone. At Fallowfield main shaft 12 feet of shale
intervene between the upper coal-seam and the limestone. At Stagshaw
Bank colliery this is replaced bv 15 feet of sandstone and shale, whilst at
Acomb it is represented by 25 feet of 'grey' beds or arenaceous shale. At
Alston Moor, Bardon Mill, and Stagshaw Bank, the coal is divided into two
seams by a considerable thickness of sandstones and shales, and at Fallow-
field No. 3 bore-hole, the seam is further separated into three. On the
other hand, at Acomb and Fallowfield shafts the intermediate beds have
disappeared, resulting in the formation of one thick seam." The Great and
Four-fathom Limestones are well exposed in the upper part of Haltwhistle
burn, where they dip at an angle of 9 degs. south. The Great Limestone has
here thinned out from 63 feet at Alston to 38 feet ; this thinning out of the
limestone, coupled with the disappearance of the overlying ' Tumbler ' beds,
foreshadows the condition of things characteristic of this bed wherever met
with to the north of the Tyne. At Bewclay this limestone has a somewhat
deceptive thickness, due to a repetition of the bed by a small strike fault.
A good idea of the general sequence of the Yoredale beds in the extreme
south of the county may be obtained from the mining operations connected
with the Blackett level. Interesting sections can also be studied in the
walls of the five shafts which penetrate more or less completely to the level
at intervals along its course.' The rise of the level being only 8 feet per
' App. i. • Vol. ii. app. i. (i). ' App. ii. and iii.
GEOLOGY. 7
mile, and the dip of the beds being between 5 degs. and 15 degs., a section
is pierced by the level from the lower Millstone Grit beds down to the Scar
limestone. The Millstone Grit series scarcely makes its appearance to the
north of the Tyne, but south of the river it occupies the whole of the surface
of the country, with the exception of the actual drainage channels and the
small areas of the Stublick coal-field. Notwithstanding the dip of the beds
to the north, the rise of the country southward causes approximately the
same beds to occupy the moorland all over the district. Thus the Felltop
limestone taken as the base of the Millstone Grit, which crops out at Ordley,
on the Devil's Water, at a height of 400 feet, attains near Broadgate head an
elevation of 1,000 feet. Indeed, the district occupied by the Millstone Grit
series in South Hexhamshire constitutes some of the highest ground in
Northumberland. Thus Lilswood Moor, on Hexhamshire common, lies at
an elevation of 1,467 feet; Allendale common, at 1,640 feet ; and Knocks-
field Moor, at 1,803 f^^^ ! \vhile on the southern boundary of Northumberland
we meet with heights of 2,000 feet on Burtree north fell, 2,075 f^et at
Stangend rigg, and 2,206 feet at the summit of Killhope Moor, above Coal-
cleugh, this latter point constituting the third highest elevation in the county,
being only exceeded in height bv Cheviot and Hedgehope. The most
important bed in this series is the Grindstone Sill, a hard siliceous rock
which forms a considerable spread on the surface round Allenheads and
Coalcleugh, and has been quarried for grindstones. Though occurring
throughout the mining districts, it does not usually carry lead ore, e.xcept in
the Derwent valley.
In the outliers of the Middle Coal-measures on the north side of the
Stublick dyke the majority of the seams are thin. The ' Yard ' and ' Main '
coal have, however, been worked both at Stublick and Stublick Hill.' At
the former place no coal has been raised for some years, but at Stublick Hill
the main coal is still worked by means of a small timbered shaft. Writing
of these seams in 1831, Mr. Nicholas Wood remarks: 'The qualitv of these
coal beds resembles those of the lower beds of the regular Coal-measures.
One seam in particular, the yard coal, is of similar quality to one of the
Wylam seams, producing coal suitable for reducing lead ores, a quality
which none of the beds in this district, except those belonging to the regular
Coal-measures, possess.^
' See sections, app. iv. " \'ol. ii. app. i. (i).
g HEXHAMSHIRE.
Although the tract of country under consideration lies to the south of
the main outcrop of the Whin Sill, a small offshoot of it running south from
Great Bavington enters the extreme north of the shire, about a mile due
north of Hallington hall. A well-known whin dyke, however, the Brunton
dyke, crosses the northern portion of the shire, appearing near Wall and
running in a north-easterly direction to Errington, with two offshoots visible
in Bingfield burn and the bed of the Pont respectively. It also extends to
the south-west, crossing the Tyne at Warden, and again at Altonside and
Tedcastle, dying out finally at Ridley, on the Allen.' A word remains to be
said with regard to the Pleistocene and recent deposits occurring in the
district under notice. The greater part of the shire is covered, often to
some depth, with glacial drift, and in several places when the deposit
consists of a well-developed clay, it is dug for the manufacture of tiles,
notably at Grottington, where the fine character of the material points to its
probable subaqueous origin from reassorted boulder clay. On the moor-
lands to the south the drift is frequently more of the nature of true moraine.
Many of the river valleys contain thick deposits of this drift, and in the
East Allen the shaft in connection with the Blackett level at Sipton was
sunk through 102 feet of this material, that is to say, to a depth of 64 feet
below the present level of the stream. Adding to this 42 feet of additional
material which occurs above the mouth of the shaft on the opposite bank of
the river, we have a total thickness of alluvium in this part of the valley of
144 feet. The river runs principally on alluvium, but in two places it has
excavated for itself a new channel, forming in one case at Holmes linn a
waterfall 10 or 12 feet high. Along the banks of the Tyne well-marked
river terraces occur, forming wide spreads on either side of the present river
channel, the whole of Hexham north of the main road being built on this
deposit. Writing of these terraces. Prof. Lebour remarks : ' I cannot regard
any part of the present surface contour of the drift that so largely fills our
larger Northumbrian valleys as original, i.e.^ as practically unchanged
in form since the disappearance of the glaciers. On the contrary, all
such features must, I believe, be referred to very extensive post-glacial
denudation.'^
' App. i. (text) ; vol. i. app. i. 28. " App. i.
LEAD MINES.
LEAD MINES.
Although no direct proof exists to establish the fact, there seems to be
every reason for believing that lead mining has been carried on in Hexham-
shire from very early times. The earliest known method of smelting has
been thus described by Mr. Westgarth Forster ; ' Piles of stones were
placed round a fire, on the western brow of an eminence (as that is the
most prevalent wind of the north), as near as possible to the mouth
of the mine ; these stones were so placed as to leave certain holes or
openings, to answer both the purpose of flues and the admission of the air;
the fuel was supplied from the neighbouring woods, which on that account
have obtained the name of Hag hill or Hag bank . . . this method may
be considered as the first essay of smelting lead ore.''
These primitive constructions are known as boles or bayle hills. In
Allendale many of them may be found, with a quantity of scoriae lying near,
showing the result of operations carried on ages ago. A glance at a
specimen will at once show how thoroughly the work of smelting was done,
in spite of the rough nature of the materials used. Locally these places are
known as bale hills, being but a slight variation from the term usually
employed. One of them may be seen on the left bank of the East Allen, a
few hundred yards below the Allen smelting mill.
Unfortunately it is impossible to assign even an approximate date to
the time when this early smelting was carried on. There is always a strong
temptation to carry everything back to the time of the Romans. This
feeling is especially powerful in a case like the present, for Old Town, near
Catton, is supposed to bear traces of Roman occupation, and the penning in
Colliery lane, close by, is said to contain many Roman stones. Many
centuries must be traversed from the time of the Romans before any actual
evidence of the existence of mines in the district can be traced. Lead was
exported from Newcastle in the reign of Henry I.,^ and it may be regarded
as certain that it came from Hexhamshire, though mines in Weardale were
being worked in the reign of Stephen. The earliest direct reference to lead
workings actually being carried on in the regality appears to be in 1230,
when Archbishop Gray granted one mine to Alan, son of Ralph, Robert le
' Westgarth Forster : A Treatise on a Section of the Strata from Neicxastle-upon-Tyne to Cross Fell,
2nd ed. p. 364. - Brand, Hist, of Neiacastle, ii. p. 131, note.
Vol. III. 3
lO HEXHAMSHIRE.
Tanur, Richard Mariscall, Simon de Alston, and Alan de Nentesbire on
condition that they should pay him yearly a seventh part of the produce/
In 1 518, all the lead mines in Hexhamshire were leased to Thomas,
Lord Dacre for 99 years, on consideration of his paying to the archbishop
one ninth of the produce.' In the great survey of 1547 only one lead mine
is mentioned, and the profit for the current year is stated at 9s. 4d. The
mine is said to be situated in East Allendale, and is farmed out to John
Shele by the king, who was lord of the manor for the time being.
Between 1547 and 1565 considerable progress appears to have been
made, and in the latter year mines seem to have been opened by Matthew
Bee, the owner of Ninebanks, at three places in his lands, namely,
Grewslacke, Spartywell, and Bates hill, all three places being situated
to the south of the village of Ninebanks and in West Allendale. In 1570,
however, the mines were claimed as the property of the Crown. An action
was brought against Matthew Bee for his encroachments upon the privileges
of the queen. He pleaded, however, that the proceeds from the mines had
not paid for the cost of working them. In the course of the evidence
it appeared that less than 200 loads of lead had been extracted during
the five years that had elapsed since the mines were first opened.'
In spite of this small quantitv of lead and of Matthew Bee's assertion
that it had not paid for the expenses of working, it may be regarded as
certain that lead mining in Hexhamshire underwent considerable develop-
ment during the latter years of the sixteenth century, and during the early
part of the seventeenth century. In the survey of 1608 the rent of the
grooves of lead in East Allendale is stated at 26s. 8d., with a clear yearly
value of 43s. 4d. Surveys of the mines were ordered in 1619 and again in
1624, and this seems to indicate that they were being worked and that they
were considered valuable. It may have been about this time that mines
were opened on the north side of the Tyne, at Fallowfield, for in 161 1 John
Errington of Beaufront petitioned against Sir John Fenwick, who had
forcibly dispossessed him of a lead mine there on the pretence that it
belonged to the king.^ The register of St. John Lee contains many refer-
ences to the Fallowfield lead miners during the seventeenth century, and the
churchyard contains a tombstone erected to the memory of one of them, who
' Archbishop Gyay's Register, Surt. Soc. p. 236. - Reg. Leases, York, i. f. 17 a.
" Special Commission, No. 1720. The Queen v. Matthew Bee.
' Stiite Papers, Domestic, Jas. I. vol. Ixiv. Nos. 45 and 46.
LEAD MINES. I I
was buried in 17 14.' Everything seems to point to the fact that the hitter
part of the seventeenth century was a time of great prosperity for the lead
mines in Hexhamshire ; but with the dawn of the eighteenth century that
prosperity began to decline. This is illustrated by an interesting petition
presented at Quarter Sessions in July, 171 1, by the inhabitants of the forest
grieveship in Allendale :
To the hon'''"' her ma"'' justices of the peace assembled upon the bench att Hexham. — The humble
petition of the inhabitants of the Forest in the parish of Allendale humbly shevveth :"
That the parish of Allendale is divided into six greveships or constableries, viz., West Allen; Catton ;
Keenley ; Allen ; Park, and Forrest. All which have paid the poor cess joyntly hitherto. And one church
warden collects the cess for two greveships. But now by two justices of the peace and twenty of the
twenty four, the parish is ordered that every greveship or constablerie shall support their own poor.
Which order was then opposed by four of the twenty four in behalfe of the Forrest. As being unequal
for that some have no poor and others many ; especially the Forrest which, by S' William Blacket's
stewards imploying at the mines both forreners and from other parts or greveships in the said parish poor
labourers; hath made more poor in the Forrest than any other part in the parish which was not in our
power to prevent. And now the mines are ordered to be laid in which will increase the number of the
poor and make yo' petitioners less able to support them.
Therefore your poor petitioners humbly pray that as the whole parish hath had the advantage of the
mines when that trade flourished, your worships will be pleased to order that we may be equal in our
sufferings now when it seems to decline. And your petitioners shall as in duty bound ever pray, etc.
[23 sig"natures.]
How long this depression in the industry continued, and how far it
extended is a matter of uncertainty. At the beginning of the present
century it had apparently entirely recovered itself. Mr. Westgarth Forster
in his valuable treatise gives a list of the mines actually being worked in
Allendale at the time he was writing (1821), with full particulars of each.
As this list is of singular interest, it is here appended :
List of lead mines in the two Allendales belonging to Colonel and Mrs. Beaumont.'
1. Allenheads, seven miles south of Allendale Town, and four miles east of Coalcleugh, consisting of
several veins, viz.. Poverty vein, Sun vein, Diana vein, Blackett vein. Style vein, Christopher Mills' vein,
Grindstone vein, etc.; much lead, with crystallised cubical spar, blue, purple, amber, etc., and also
carbonates of lead, some blend or black jack, with quartz, in strata, from the Grindstone Sill to the
Four-fathom Limestone. One horse level, upon the firestone, called Fawside level, begun in the year
1776; one water level known by the name of the Haugh level, begun in Sir William Blackett's time;
four water wheel engines, underground ; seven whimseys, one underground ; and a large crushing
machine.
2. Coalcleugh, two miles east of Nenthead, and 7j miles .S.S.W. of Allendale Town, consisting of
several veins : High Coalcleugh, Whitewood, Low Coalcleugh, etc.; much lead, and blend or black jack,
with coloured cubical and amorphous tluor spar and quartz, in strata, from the Grindstone Sill to the
Four-fathom Limestone. One water wheel, and one pressure engine, underground ; five whimseys, two
underground ; two horse levels, viz., Coalcleugh level and Barney Crag level ; and one water level,
begun in Sir William Blackett's time ; one large crushing machine.
' 'Here lyeth ye body of Cuthbert Todd of Fallowfield leade mills, who was buried the i6th of
January, 1714.' "Sessions Records, July, 171 1. 'Treatise on a Section of the Strata, 2nd ed. pp. 301-3.
12 HEXHAMSHIRE.
3. Hearty Cleugli in Welhopc, three miles and a luilf N.W. of Coalclcugh ; lead, with some calc
spar, principally in the Great Limestone.
4. Kearsley Well, 4i miles N. by W. of Coalcleufih ; lead, principally in the (Ircat Limestone. One
horse level.
5. Swinhope Head, li miles E. of Coalcleugh ; lead, with some blend or blai k jack, principally in
the Great Limestone. One horse level, begun under the direction of Mr. William Crawhall, the agent ;
and one crushing machine.
6. Sipton, 4 miles N. of Allenheads; a trial, in slate sills and firestone.
7. Welhope Head, li miles N.W. of Coalcleugh ; lead, with sulphate and witherite or carbonate of
barytes, in strata, from the High Slate Sill to the bottom of the Great Limestone. Two horse levels,
begun under the direction of Mr. Joseph Dickinson.
About the middle of the present century Mr. Wentworth Blackett
Beaumont, with great energy and spirit endeavoured, by all the means in his
power, to increase and improve the lead industry in the district. He caused
the construction of the road across the moors to Dilston, and in 1855 the
Great Blackett level in Allendale was begun. As originally projected, it
was intended to drive this to a distance of seven miles. No expense has
been spared in the carrying out of this gigantic task, but at the present time
only four and a half miles have been excavated. The tardiness of the work
has been entirely due to the great decline in the lead industry in the district
during the last few years. It is a matter of regret that so much enterprise
should have been thrown away, but the introduction into the country of
immense quantities of the metal from Spain, Greece, Germany, Australia,
and Mexico have enormously reduced the price, while at the same time iron,
zinc, and other materials are now being used for pipes, roofs, tanks, and so
forth, where lead was formerly required. The effect of this double
phenomenon of increased supply and reduced demand is strikingly illus-
trated by the following table showing the price of lead, at intervals of twenty
years, from 1734 to 1894 :
Price of Lead per Ton.
1734
1754
1774
1794
1814
During the thirty-three years, ending in 1883, the average output of ore
was 2,955 tons a year. At that time the mines were taken over by the
W. B. Lead Company, Limited, and the average output since then has only
been 860 tons annually. In previous years there were three smelting mills
in use in Allendale, one at the confluence of the East and West Allen ;
£
s. d.
1 1
14 II
1834
16
3 '
1854
12
4 10
1874
14
21
I 8
8 II
1894
£
16
s.
8
d.
4
21
13
10
21
7
2
9
15
0
AGRICULTURE.
13
Allen mill, near Allendale Town ; and Allenheads mill. The first of these
has long been closed, and all trace of it has disappeared. The Allenheads
mill was closed in 1870, but the Allen mill continued in use. The
horizontal flues for carrying off the fumes measured 3,410 yards at Allen-
heads mill and at Allen mill 8,770 yards in two equal parallel lengths.
Only 4,385 yards of the latter are in use at the present time. On the east
bank of the Devil's Water, near Steel, may be seen the ruins of a smelting
mill, once used in connection with the Allendale mines. The lead mines in
West Allendale were closed in 1894, and the total extinction of the industry
seems to be close at hand. This decline has naturally affected the popula-
tion of the district which, at the present time, is less than half what it was
in 1 86 1.
AGRICULTURE.
The agriculture of Hexhamshire presents features which are common to
the agriculture of most of the inland districts of South Northumberland.
On all sides may be found fields, and even open hill sides, that plainly show the
marks of the plough, but where, for many years, the surface has been surren-
dered to the growth of grass. As a rule this change has been brought about
by the extremely low prices current for wheat and other agricultural produce.
In certain parts of Hexhamshire, notably in Allendale, this abandonment of
tillage land to grass has, however, been considerably stimulated by the
closing of most of the lead mines, and the consequent reduction in the rural
population.
The following table exhibits in a condensed form for the three parishes :
(i) the total area that has at one time been under the plough, (2) the acreage
that has been laid away to grass, (3) the acreage of corn crops, (4) the
acreage of green crops, (5) the area under 'seeds' :
Nature of Land.
ALLE^
DALE.
Hexham.
1
St. John Lee.
1884.
1894.
1884.
1894.
i884.
1894.
Acres.
Acres.
Acres.
Acres.
Acres.
Acres.
Total cultivated area...
16,515
16,440
7,500
7,378
13,165
13,736
Permanent pasture
16,266
16,375
6,205
6,522
9,567
10,422
Corn crops
114
35
446
211
1,610
1,312
Green crops
75
14
344
185
928
659
Clover and grass (seeds)
58
15
459
395
1,016
1.327
lA HEXHAMSHIRE.
On comparing the returns for the two years, 1884 and 1894, it will be
seen that in each of the three parishes the area under permanent pasture has
somewhat increased, while the area under corn crops and green crops has
been correspondingly reduced. In the whole of Allendale in 1894 there
were only 64 acres of land under regular tillage, while in Hexham the area
extended to 791 acres, and in St. John Lee to 3,298 acres. The generally
southern aspect of the latter parish largely accounts for its tillage area being
so well maintained.
The system of tillage farming still lingers in a few favoured districts,
where soil, climate, and local facilities enable farmers to keep the plough
going at a reasonable profit. This style of farming still prevails, to a
greater or less extent, on the lower ground of the north bank of the Tyne
from Anick to Acomb, and on the east bank of the North Tyne as far up as
Chollerton. Even on farms in these districts, however, a considerable
portion of the land has been laid away to permanent pasture. The tillage
land is, for the most part, cropped as follows: (i) oats, (2) turnips or
potatoes, (3) barley or oats, (4) hay, consisting of a mixture of ryegrass
and clovers. In the fourth year part of the young grass is hayed or grazed,
and in the fifth year the grass may be pastured or broken up for oats.
Nearly the whole of the produce is consumed on the farm.
The sheep stock kept on the tillage farms varies considerably. Some-
times half-bred ewes are put to a half-bred or pure bred Border-Leicester
ram, a proportion of the lambs going off to the fat markets in June and July,
the rest being retained for stock purposes, or are sent to the large store-stock
markets towards the end of July or early in August. So-called draft or cast
ewes {i.e., old ewes from the hills) of the Cheviot or blackfaced breeds are
bought in by some farmers in September or October, and, being mated with
a Border-Leicester, sometimes with an Oxford or Shropshire, ram, produce
half-bred, cross, or mule lambs, which find a ready market for various
purposes. The mothers of these lambs are sold to kill in the autumn of the
year succeeding that in which they are purchased.
The tillage farmers do not, as a rule, breed many cattle, preferring to
buy in ' stores ' from Ireland, Cumberland, and elsewhere, which they
ultimately feed off on straw and turnips, supplemented by cake or meals, or
on their better-class pasture fields, as the case may be. The bulk of the
cattle are shorthorns, or shorthorn crosses, though Galloways, polled
AGRICULTURE.
15
Anguses and their crosses are by no means uncommon. Dairying is not
carried on to any great extent on the tillage farms, though a few cows are
usually kept to supply the farm house and the cottages.
The horses are, for the most part, of the Clydesdale breed, though shires
and half-breds are also used for tillage work. Some farmers also breed a
few hunters, or carriage horses, but the majority of them appear to prefer the
heavier classes, whose rearing and management involve less risk.
The labour required for tillage land is either supplied, in the form of
day-labour, from adjoining villages, or by married men and their families
who live in cottages on the farm. The wages of a married ploughman or
cattleman vary from i6s. to 21s. per week, with a free house and garden,
coals delivered, and a certain quantity of potatoes, usually sufficient to supply
his family during the year. The wages of a steward or shepherd are two or
three shillings a week higher, the latter being sometimes paid, partly or
entirely, by means of a certain number of sheep, which are included in the
farmer's flocks. Sometimes, though not so often now as formerly, a married
servant is allowed to keep a cow, in which case his wage is reduced bv about
5s. per week.
A form of tillage farming which is practised to a considerable extent in
the neighbourhood of Hexham, namely, market gardening and nursery culti-
vation, deserves a passing notice. The vegetables — leeks, onions, peas, early
turnips, cauliflowers, young cabbages, etc. — find a market in Hexham and
Newcastle, while the forest and fruit trees are sent all over the countrv, and
some varieties, especially gooseberry bushes, are even sent in considerable
quantity to the United States.
The higher ground in the three parishes of Hexham, vSt. John Lee, and
Allendale, and much even of the lower-lying land, is almost exclusively
devoted to pastoral farming. The pastoral farms vary in size from less than
100 acres up to considerably over 1,000. In some parts, also, notablv in
Allendale, many of the farms carry the right of grazing a certain number of
sheep or cattle (stints) on the common fell land, in which case a 'herdsman' is
annually appointed to take charge of the stock. The sheep stock kept on the
grazing farms is chiefly of the blackfaced breed, less frequently Cheviots, and
occasionally mules, i.e.^ a cross between the blackfaced and Border-Leicester.
Besides sheep, most of the pastoral farmers rear or graze a considerable
number of cattle. Non-pedigreed shorthorns predominate, the young animals
i6
HEXHAMSHIRE.
being usually wintered on hay, having a run out to the fields during the
day. They are sold in October of their second year, when they are about
eighteen months old. These young store cattle are in great demand
amongst tillage farmers. They come from a high district, and, having been
reared on plain fare, thrive well in a warmer climate and on better food,
and generally leave a fair margin of profit for their keep.
Horses are kept to a very small extent on a pastoral farm, a single
horse to take the farmer to market, and to cart coals, wool, and hay,
frequently sufficing. On larger farms where a mower is kept, and where a
considerable area of grass is made into hay, two or even three horses may
be found, but this is rather exceptional.
On many pastoral farms dairying is a very important adjunct to sheep
farming and cattle rearing. The dairies are not usually large, containing as
they do from six to ten cows, more or less, and are generally managed by
the farmer's wife or daughter. There being but little sale for milk, and
cheese-making being rarely practised, the dairy produce is chiefly sold in the
form of butter, most of which is brought to Hexham market.
The live stock statistics of the three parishes are best summarised in the
following table, which shows the numbers of the various classes for 1884 and
1894. The numbers of horses and sheep, it will be seen, have in every case
increased during the past decade, while pigs are much scarcer in each of the
three parishes in 1894 than in 1884. Cattle have somewhat decreased in
numbers in Allendale, but they have more than held their own in the other
two parishes.
Live Stock.
Allendale.
Hexham.
St. John Lee.
1SS4
I8SI4.
'884.
'894-
1884-
■894.
Ko.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Horses
287
397
122
136
284
303
Cattle
4,136
3,987
1,132
1,347
2,685
2,836
Sheep
22,891
24,560
5,787
6,079
9,625
11,145
Pigs
409
225
135
106
267
191
Some of the estates in this district are very large, but there is a con-
siderable number of yeoman farmers. In many districts the small proprietor
who farms his own land has largely disappeared, the cause frequently being
that he was unable to compete successfully with the more thrifty and hard-
working tenant farmer. Where, however, he has inherited the traditions of
DIAT.ECT. 17
friiral, industrious ancestors, and lias lived and worked in a manner befitting
his position, he has been able successfully to hold his own. This has been
the case in a gratifying number of instances in Allendale and elsewhere.
These yeoman farmers differ but little in their mode of life from their rent-
paying neighbours. They work as hard and live as plainly, and it is only in
the possession of better agricultural implements, more substantial fences and
stone walls, rather better-bred live stock, and more highly-conditioned fields,
that their more comfortable circumstances become apparent.
Closely related to agriculture is the subject of sylviculture, which is
practised in He.xhamshire to a very considerable extent. Much of the steep
poor land has been found to be admirably adapted to the growth of trees, the
prevailing species being the Scotch fir, larch, and spruce. In the more
sheltered and richer situations one also meets with a considerable sprinkling
of hard-woods, especially beech, oak, elm, sycamore, lime, and birch. If ere
and there our newer exotics, such as Douglas fir, Wellingtonia, and various
species of Abies, are also having a trial, and already, in some instances, have
attained to very considerable proportions. On the whole the tree that has in
the past proved the most profitable is the larch, several plantations of this
tree 60 to 90 years old, being valued at ^'200 and upwards per acre. Un-
fortunately, however, a fungoid disease, Peziza Willkommn, has within recent
years attacked this tree with great virulence, so that the young woods that
have been formed within the last two or three decades do not give so much
promise of a profitable return as their predecessors. This larch blight,
together with reduced revenues from estates, has had the effect of deterring
many landowners from extending their woodlands, though it is probable that
judicious tree- planting still offers the best means of profitably utilizing many
classes of land.
DIALECT.
The spoken tongue in East and West Allendale is in marked contrast
with that heard in the rest of the shire of which Hexham is the centre. In
the dales, from the point of junction of the east and west branches of the
Allen Water up to the heads of these streams, the trilled r is heard, with a
vocalization similar to that of south-west Northumberland, and closely akin
to that which prevails in the neighbouring Weardale. But in the portion of
Hexhamshire bordering on the north, and south banks of the Tyne, and
within the area drained by the Devil's Water, the guttural r, or Northumber-
Voi,. III. 3
1 8 HEXHAMSHIRE.
land burr, is general. The line of demarcation between these peculiarities
passes the Tyne about two miles west of Bardon Mill, trends south-eastwards,
crosses the Allen Water near Staward, and follows the east side of East
Allendale, in the direction of its headwaters. The limit of the burr is here
as sharply defined as it is on the northern confines of Northumberland. On
each side of this pale the vocabulary is practically identical, but the spoken
effect is so diiTerent that the transition from the sound of the uvular r to a
speech in which the r is always trilled produces on the ear the effect of a
different dialect. The trilled r might be supposed to result from the
colonies of lead miners settled in upper Allendale, but the same phenomenon
characterises the folk-speech of all that section of south-west Tynedale
which lies beyond the limits of the burr country.
Local terms for natural features are especially characteristic in the
southern portion of the shire. Here the uplands are in most cases dis-
tinguished bv the suffix rigg^ the northern form of ridge. These are large
tracts of heathery fell land, rising, as at Stangend Rigg, to a height of 2,074
feet above sea level, and to the yet higher elevation of Kilhope Law. The
sharp ridge which rises behind Hexham and divides it from the deep valley
of the Dipton burn, is significantly called Yarridge, which in the dialect
means a sharp edge. The word liope occurs in many combinations at the
head of the upland valleys, whilst in the dales themselves shield is found
as a prevalent place-name and clengh is yet more frequent, as in West
Allen where the village of Coalcleugh stands at an elevation of between
1,600 and 1,700 feet above the sea level. The ramifications of the river
system are discriminated in ascending order. Thus, the Tyne receives the
two streams, the Allen and the Devil's Water (locally De'il's Wetter), the
term ivater being applied to the larger tributaries of the main river. These
ivatcrs are supplied by hiiriis, and the burns are in turn fed, in many cases, by
sluggish sykes. These uppermost branches originate in a tvell, which is
either a spring or the flow from a moss.
The speech of Hexham itself shares its peculiarity with the west Tyne
from Wylam to Bellingham. It differs from the lower Tyneside dialect
chiefly in its modification of the long a sound heard in the local pronuncia-
tion of all, wall, old, etc. This will be understood by using the phonotypes
a to represent the vowel as it is heard before r in the word dark, and o for
the sound heard inthe northern pronunciation of ;/o. In Hexham the words
DIALECT. 19
all, wall, old, are thus o', w6, bd ; whereas in North and South Northumber-
land and on Tyneside they are a, wa, ad, A local place rhyme illustrates
the Hexham peculiarity:
Five 6d wives o' Yeckham (Acomb),
Five od wives o' Wo (Wall),
Five 6d wives o' Fallowficld,
Fifteen o' them 6 (all).
And the town motto, in which Hexham is proud to boast that it is ' the
heart of o' England,' is often used to mark its peculiarity by uttering it
with a facetious emphasis on the long b. Among older inhabitants the
pronunciation of stone, bone, home, moon, soon, boot, is heard as stcen, been,
heem, mccn, seen, beet ; but in other respects than those noted the dialect
presents little or no diflFerence from that of the rest of the county.
An example from each district will better illustrate their respective
dialects. The first is in the speech of the dales, and is therefore spoken
with a trilled r throughout. It is from ' A Dialogue between two Allendale
Miners,' printed in 1878, referring to a conversation which took place about
the year 1838.
Robert : Come, Gwourdy lad, howay an' git tha piepe ; it's a lang time sin thou an' me had a bit
crack. Howay, an' awl fill tha piepe for ode lang syne. Cum an' tell ma what thou hez fresh. Ah heer
thou was at Staigha (Stagshaw Bank Fair) last Saturday. Did ta drive ony trade, or hez thou tha ode
white mear yet ? Here's the baccy box.
George : Wey, Bob, our Dick an' me gat up at three o'clock i' the mwournin and set off ta tha
fair, an' we thought we wad coll at Hexham an' hev a bit rist. Se when we gat tiv tha fut iv Skinners-
burn we met a bit lad, an' axt him whilk e them lonnins led tiv tha Market Plys, an' he started ta laf at
us, an' sade them was streets an' nut lonnins ; an he teuck us tiv a greet big public-huse at they coe the
Turf Hotel, but ah seed ne turfs aboot it ; b'd ah telld them if they wad gan up as far as the Heeds
(AUenheads) wa me ah wad let them see plenty iv turfs an' peats tee. Se our lad an' me had a piento'yel,
an' gave tha galloway a feed o' cwourn, an' of wa set tiv tha fair, etc.
The second example is in the dialect of the eastern portion of the shire,
spoken with the strong burr. It is from 'The Old Farmer,' by George
Chatt, Hexham, 1866.
What changes there hes been ! sin aw can meynd lang syne, '
There was ne steam machines, ne railway up the Tyne ;
We thresh'd wor coorn wuv sticks — a slow and tedious way ;
But thor machines knock off twe hundred bouls a day.
When coorn cam forrit fast, it gav us muckle grief,
For 'twas cutten up wi' heuks, an' gethered wi' the nief ;
Aw yence had hauf me crop o' battered wi' the wund,
'Twas stannin rotten reype, ne wark-foak cood be fund :
Says aw, ' Thoo muckle de'il, thaw varra warstest blow,
Sin thoo's teyn away the coorn, thoo may teyk the stree an oa.'
20 HEXHAMSHIRE.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY.
The practice of granting private jurisdictions, or soken, to favoured
individuals was by no means an uncommon expedient of the Anglo-Saxon
kings. These grants, which included many of the rights of sovereignty,
formed a substantial reward for faithful and loyal subjects, while they
relieved the king from the ever pressing necessity of administering and
defending outlying territories.
Of such franchises the liberty of Hexhamshire was one of the most
important, as it was the most enduring. Long after other districts
similarly privileged had lost all that distinguished them from the kingdom
in general, the archbishop of York continued to enjoy, almost undiminished,
the peculiar rights he exercised over Hexhamshire.
The date at which the regality was founded is uncertain, and the arch-
bishops could never bring satisfactory documentary evidence to prove the
validity of their title and claims. The first reference to the district is in
Prior Richard's History, where he says that Queen Etheldrid, in the year
674, gave Wilfrid lands out of her dower with which to endow the new
bishopric of Hexham.^ If the lands referred to actually constituted, as is
most probable, what was later known as Hexhamshire, the fact that they
were granted as a whole, and were also the dower of the queen, would seem
to indicate their previous existence as a distinct estate. Be that as it may,
the see of York probably founded its claim upon this grant of Etheldrid,
for though Wilfrid ended his days as bishop of Hexham and abbot of Ripon,
yet it was as bishop of York that he had received the gift, a title by which
he is best known. It may possibly have been a vague remembrance of this
historic fact that led Archbishop Greenfield to assert that the manor of
Hexham had belonged to the see of York ever since the foundation of the
latter church." At all events no records exist which afford the slightest
proof that the manor ever belonged to anyone except the archbishops of
York during this early period. Indeed, the manor is only mentioned once
or twice, and on each occasion incidentallv, in connection with Wilfrid's
famous church.
' ' Haec (i.e., Etheldrid) vero, assensu regis mariti sui, .... circa dominicae incarnationis
MDLXXIIII'", .... dedit Sancto Wilfrido .... Hestaldesliam, cum circumjacente regione,
quam a rege Egfrido in dotem accepisse creditur, ut ibi episcopatum sibi faceret.' Bk. i., cap. vii. Hexham
Priory (Surt. Soc), i. p. 23.
■ ' Maneriuin nostrum de Hextildesham .... quae de patrimonio ecclesiae nostrae Beati Petri
Eboraccnsis a primitiva ejus fundatione existunt.' Rolls series. Northern Registers, ed. Raine, p. 240.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 21
In the year 854 Wigimind, archbishop of York, and Eanberht, bishop of
Lindisfarne, were both dead, and the opportunity was taken of more care-
fully defining the boundaries between their two dioceses. The vacant
bishopric of Hexham was divided between the two sees, those lands lying
between the Tyne and the Tees being assigned to York, and those between
the Tyne and the Aln being included in the diocese of Lindisfarne.
Under this arrangement Hexhamshire probably remained undivided,
and in the possession either of the see of York or of Lindisfarne. To whicli
diocese it was actually attached remains uncertain. York certainly had the
prior claim, and could undoubtedly have enforced it if that had been
desired. But from very early times the connection between Lindisfarne and
Hexham had been exceedingly close. The relation had at first been purely
ecclesiastical, but as time went on the bishops at Lindisfarne seem to have
acquired a territorial jurisdiction over the shire. The administration of so
remote a district, so exposed to internal disorder and foreign invasion, would,
at that time, be regarded by the archbishops of York rather in the light of an
irksome duty than as a profitable source of income. They, therefore, quietly
suffered the encroachments of the see of Lindisfarne upon their territories,
and neglected to make any protest before it was too late. In the year 883,
or less than thirty years after the division of the Hexham diocese, the
ownership of Hexham regality seems definitely to have passed into the hands
of the bishops of Lindisfarne. At that date the Danish king Guthred
endowed the congregation of St. Cuthbert, then settled with the body of the
saint, at Chester-le-Street, with all the lands between the Tyne and the
Wear.^ It may possibly be assumed in the light of subsequent events, that
by this grant the whole of the regality came definitely into the hands of one
owner, though grants of this kind, as a rule, only included lands lying near
the coast. But if the shire w^as included, then all possibility of any ambiguity
that may have existed at once ceased. Yet no steps to ensure a regular
administration in Hexhamshire seem to have been taken till more than
a hundred years later. In the year 995 the congregation was driven out
from Chester-le-Street by an incursion of the Danes. Returning soon after
from their place of refuge at Ripon, they established themselves, with the
body of the saint, at Durham. After the establishment of his see. Bishop
Ealdhun probably soon turned his attention to his outlying possessions, and
' Rolls series, Syincou of Durham, i. 70.
22 HEXHAMSHIRE.
it cannot have been long after this date that he appointed one Collan, son of
Eadred, as provost or thegn of Hexhamshire/
The rule of the provosts in the regality lasted throughout the greater
part of the eleventh century. Each bishop appointed a provost on
succeeding to the bishopric, the provosts themselves being drawn from
three families, so that the office became almost hereditary. No records
exist to illustrate the history of the administration of these men, but a short
pedigree, showing their relation to each other, and to other well-known men
of the period may prove of interest:
Eadred. living.
I . I I
Collan, first provost of Hexham, circa 995. | | Ulkill, fourth provost.
Appointed by Bishop Ealdhun. Wincune. Ealdhun, bishop Appointed by Bishop
I I of Durham, Elhelric, 1042-56.
Eadred. Arkill. 995-ioiS. I
I I Uthred, fifth provost,
I I Ulkill, second provost. ''ving after 1070.
Collan, third provost = Alured, son of Appointed by Bishop Appointed by Bishop
of He.xhani, 1042-56. Westou, sa- Edmund, 1020-41. Ethelwine.
Appointed by Bishop crist of Dur-
Ethelric. ham.
The title of the bishops of Durham to Hexhamshire seemed then
perfectly assured, and during the course of the eleventh century they
obtained confirmations from Pope Gregory VII., Archbishop Lanfranc,
and even from the archbishop (Thomas) of York himself." But in the year
1 07 1, William the Conqueror ravaged the north with fire and sword,
and Bishop Ethelwine of Durham fled to Lindisfarne, Hexhamshire suffering
with the surrounding country, and the whole district being laid waste.
Uthred the provost, finding himself without a superior, offered to the arch-
bishop of York the government of the lands with which he was entrusted.'
Archbishop Thomas, though he had only recently confirmed the title of the
bishops of Durham to the district, did not scruple to accept the offer. No
alteration, however, seems to have been made beyond this change of masters.
Uthred returned to his post, and in all probability continued to hold it until
his death. It is unlikely that the archbishop thought it worth while to make
any considerable changes even then. Perhaps some alteration took place
when the settlement of the Austin canons at Hexham in the year 1113
established a new order of things, and introduced the germ of future
relations between Hexham and York.
' For this account of the He.xham provosts see Hexham Priory, i. app. No. iv. and note. The
appended pedigree is taken from Canon Raine's preface to the same volume, p. li.
- Surt. Soc. Hi%t. Duncbn. Scripiorcs Tres. pp. ,\. xiii. ccxx.\i. ' Htxham Priory, i. lUus. Docs. No. iv.
HEXHAM SEALS.
Fragment of the Conventual
Seal of Hexham.
Official Seal of the
Prior.
Archbishop Waldby's Seal for the Regality.
This impression is taken from the original matrix in the
Museum of the Philosophical Society, at York. The legend
is the same on each face with but slight variations : ' Signtim
Robert! Eboracencis Archiepiscopi Anglie primatis domini
de He\tildesham.' On the obverse the modern arms of the
see of York are given, and on the reverse the ancient arms
of the see impale the arms of Waldby, a lion rampant guttee
crowned, within a bordure compony. The seal itself is a
remarkably tine specimen of late fourteenth-century (Jan.-
May, 1398) decorative work.
Forged Conventual Seal.
Official Seal of
Prior Marton.
HISTORY OF THE REGAI.ITV. 23
The tangled course of the history of the regality and its church had
resulted in an entire re-arrangement of the original dispositions. By the
grant of Etheldrid the lands of the shire were undoubtedly intended as
an endowment of the religious foundation of Wilfrid. But when the
Austin canons settled at Hexham in 1113, they were exceedingly poor, and
owned none of the original property of the church they had come to occupy.
The greater part of the regality belonged to the archbishop of York, and all
that remained was in the hands of the priest Eilaf. In fact the prior and
convent of Hexham never owned very much property in Hexhamshire, most
of their possessions lying outside. The prior, indeed, occasionally exercised
some powers in the liberty, but it was only on sufferance, and by the grant
of his superior the archbishop.
If we may credit a fifteenth-century document preserved among the
Cottonian MSS., the unauthorised concession of Uthred speedily received
royal confirmation. This document relates how King Henry I., having
quarrelled with Bishop Flambard, deprived him of his possessions in
Hexhamshire, and gave them to the see of York. ^ But neither the gift of
the provost nor the grant of the king appears to have been contested by the
bishops of Durham, and the archbishops of York continued to enjov
unmolested and undisturbed the extensive propertv of the regalitv.^
At this time, when difficulties of ownership had been settled, a regular
administrative system mav reasonably be supposed to have begun to take
shape. It may therefore not be out of place to examine, by the light of
more recent documents, the nature of this system, and the extent of the
archiepiscopal rights in the district. Briefly stated, they amounted almost to
regal powers. With but few exceptions the archbishop enjoyed complete
judicial and administrative authority in his liberty. He was, indeed a
subject of the king, but from his numerous rights and exemptions he rather
occupied the position of a vassal king than that of an ordinary subject. His
jurisdiction was both criminal and civil. Murder, treason, robbery, and all
kinds of felony were within his jurisdiction ; all pleas of the Crown could be
tried in his courts ; accused persons were to be brought before his justices,
and if convicted might be imprisoned in his gaol, fined for his profit, or, if
Titus A ii. 160- 1. Hexham Priory, i. p. 220.
- This account of the early history of the rcgahty has been passed over somewhat rapidly, because
almost all the facts will be found in a somewliat different form in the account of the priory. This
repetition is to be regretted, but it was unavoidable if the two accounts were to be kept separate.
24 HEXHAMSHIRE.
the offence merited it, suffer death.' The j^rofits of justice, the goods and
chattels of traitors, felons, or fugitives all accrued to the archbishop. In
civil and administrative matters, besides his ordinary feudal rights as lord of
the manor, the archbishop enjoyed the privilege of holding inquisitions for
various purposes; all questions of title, transfer of land, succession, and
similar causes, came under the authority of his justices. Commercial affairs
were under his control, he regulated the markets, and enjoyed the tolls of
his liberty.-' Over his forests he exercised the usual rights of the lord : the
cutting of timber and firewood, the usage of clearings, the right of pasture,
and the privilege of hunting. In addition he could grant out these privileges
to others, and a charter exists by which Archbishop Greenfield granted the
right of hunting in Hexhamshire to Peter de Lisle. ^ A privilege of an even
more regal nature belonged to him, namely, the right of taxation. Through
his bailiff he could demand a ferm from his tenants.'
Besides these extensive temporal powers, the archbishops as lords of the
spiritualities of Hexhamshire enjoved all the ecclesiastical rights of juris-
diction. These were always considerable, but particularlv so in the Middle
Ages. They comprised not only a complete jurisdiction in all offences of
the clergy, no matter how grave they might be, but all regulations as to
' The privilege of furca (see infra) was the right of setting up gallows and hanging criminals.
Apparently this right was not often exercised by the archbishops, who, as ecclesiastics, would hesitate to
give effect to a capital sentence. Only one instance of an execution seems to be recorded, viz., when the
bailiff, Wm. de Toluse, caused one John Wily to be hanged on the gallows. Rot. Huiid. apud Hodgson,
Northumberland, III. i. io8. The bailiff would be less scrupulous in these matters than his lord.
' Assisa panis et cercvisiac (see infra) probably covers general market regulations, such as the tolls,
weights and measures, etc. See Du Cange sub voce /1 5s/s«.
^'W., etc., ballivo nostro de Hextildesham, salutem, etc. Volumus et mandamus quatinus cum
dominus Johannes de Insula miles ad partes illas accesserit, vel alius nomine magistri Petri de Insula
presentes literas deferens pro feris bestiis infra libertatem nostram de Hextildesham capiendis, ipsos in
instant! tempore pinguedinis venari permittas et quod ceperint per venatum dicto magistro Petro facias
liberari. ^'ale. Datum apud Cawod xiii. Kal. Julii pontif. nostri anno vi'" [19 June, 131 1].' York
Registers, Greenfield, pars i. f. 54 a.
■■ ' Willelmus, etc., universis militibus, hominibus et Hbere tenentibus, ministris et servientibus nostris
quibuscunque in manerio et libertate nostris de Hextildesham constitutis salutem, graciam et benedic-
tionem. Cum constituerimus Thomam de Fetherstanhalgh seniorem ballivum nostrum nostrorum manerii
et libertatis praedictoruni, volumus et vobis firmiter injungcndo mandamus quatinus in hiis quae ad ballivi
officium pertinent sibi partatis humiliter, ac eciam intendatis. Commisimus eciam potestatem eidem
Thomae assidendi ad firmam terras nostras tam in dominicis nostris quam in manibus tenendum nostro-
rum existentibus in nostra libertate predicta quousque aliud de eisdem duxerimus ordinandum; salvo jure
tcnencium nostrorum qui absentes sunt, ut, cum redierint, terras quas prius de nobis tenuerunt adhuc si
voluerint teneant pro certa firma nobis de eisdem reddenda usque ad nostrae duntaxat beneplacitum
voluntatis, ratum et gratum habentes et habituri quicquid idem Thomas in premissis et circa ea ad
honorem Dei et ad nostri fecerit utilitatem, comodum, et honorem. In cujus^ rei testimonium, etc.
Data apud Cawode kalendis Februarii anno gracie millesimo trecentesimo vicesimo tercio et pontificatus
nostri septimo [i February, 1324].' Ibid. Melton, f. 417 b.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 25
marriage, divorce, etc., sacrilege, and even some kinds of felony.' To the
punishments of fine, imprisonment, or death, the lords of He.xham exercised
the sometimes more dreaded terrors of e.xcommunication.^
Where the power of the lord was so considerable, the authority of the
king was naturally much restricted. The royal officials were rigorously
excluded from the liberty; neither itinerant justices, sheriffs, nor coroners
could enter its jealously guarded limits to exercise their respective
functions.' The chief prerogative enforced by the king in the regality
was the right to raise subsidies. This is proved by the existence of
Subsidy Rolls for the district. The right, however, appears to have been
somewhat resented by the archbishop, and also neglected by the kings.
In the year 1359 an enquiry was instituted to discover why no subsidies had
been paid during the reign of Edward III. Archbishop Thoresby could
produce no justification for this state of things ; but the king of his grace
pardoned him and his tenants all their arrears, and further granted that
during the life of Thoresby no such payments should be made. The royal
rights were none the less reserved, and upon the death of the archbishop
' For some such cases see records of the Ecclesiastical Court of York for the years 1553, 1556, 1580-90.
* As may be imagined, this was by no means an uncommon weapon of offence. In 1324 the tenants
were excommunicated for not paying- their rents. York Registers, Melton, f. 418. In 1391 the murderers
of the forester were likewise put out of the pale of the church. Ihiii. Arundel, 23 a. Seven years later
Archbishop Waldby fulminated an excommunication against all who detained charters, deeds, etc.,
belonging to the see of York. Ibid. Waldby, f i b.
' A summary account of the rights of the archbishops over Hexhamshire is contained in each of the
inquisitions taken to enquire by what authority they exercised them. Extracts from two of these inquisi-
tions are given hei e : ' Et Archiepiscopus Eboraci in libertate Exiildesham et Alwennerdale que tenet de
domino rege habet breve suum et tenet placita de namio vetito et habet furcam et assisam panis et
cerevisiae et quicquid ad Coronam pertinct, sed nesciunt a quo tempore nee quo warranto.' [1274.] Rot.
Hiiiid. apud Hodgson, Northumberland, III. i. p. loS. Namium vetitum : An unjust taking the cattle of
another and driving them to an unlawful place, pretending damage done by them. In which case the
owner of the cattle may demand satisfaction for the injury, which is called placitiiiii de namio vetito.
Cowell's Interpreter.
In the year 1256 one William de Ellington beat William, son of Ralph de Lillswood, to death, and
then fled and was outlawed. The town of Hexham was ordered to be fined for not taking him ; but the
bailiffs denied the attachment, and lefused to allow the royal coroners or sheriffs to enter their liberty.
Cal. State Papers, Scotland, i. 2047.
'Archiepiscopus Ebor. summonitus fuit quod esset hie ad hunc diem ostensurus quo waranto clamat
quod, fiuocienscumque justiciarii hie itinerantes ballivo ejusdem archiepiscopi de Hextildesham capitula
coronae quae infra comitatum hie placitari contigerit liberent ad placitandum per justiciarios suos quos
ad hoc assignare voluerit de omnibus capitula lUa tangentibus, quae in manerio suo de Hextildesham
emergunt. Et omnia placita tarn coronae quam alia per brevia sua et justiciarios suos in manerio
predicto placitare. Et exitus et proficua inde proveniencia capere et habere. Et omnia quae ad officium
vicecomitis et coronatorum pertinent per ministros suos facere et exercere. Et quod nullus ballivus regis
intret manerium suum predictum ad aliquod officium exercendum, et custodiam prisonum habere et
deliberacionem eorundem pro voluntate suo facere. Et mercatum, furcas, et catalla fugitivorum et
felonum dampnatorum in eodem manerio habere quae ad coronam et dignitatem domini regis et
progenitorum suorum,' etc. Rot. Pat. 30 Edw. III. pars i. memb. 9. Cf. also Quo Warranto apud
Hodgson, Northumberland, III. i. p. 143, and Plac. Asserv. 21 Edw. I. ibid. III. ii. p. 348.
Vol. Ill, 4
26 HEXHAMSHIRE.
the tenants of Hexham had to discharge their obligations to the royal
exchequer just as their fellow-countrymen did/
Another privilege enjoyed by the king was the right of appointing the
number of fairs that might be held, and the days of the week on which they
were to be kept. It seems strange that a privilege, relatively so insigni-
ficant, should not have belonged to the archbishop along with his other and
more considerable rights, but this was not the case. About the year 1319
Archbishop Melton petitioned the king to grant him two fairs at Hexham,
and it was only by the royal permission that he was able to do as he
wished.^
The various and extensive powers of the archbishops in Hexhamshire
demanded a strong and well organised system of administration. Perhaps
this was not so well managed as it might have been, yet for general purposes
the see of York possessed a machinery of government that performed its
work more or less effectively. For administrative purposes Hexhamshire
was divided into six parts. These were, Hexham borough, Newlands and
Rowley ward,^ Acomb and Wall grieveship,* Park and Forest grieveship,
' 'Rex omnibus ad quos, etc., salutem regalem decet munificentiam et debitum requirit justiciae, ut
illos gratiarum muneribus liberalius prosequamur quorum ser\'itia nostris utilitatibus et reipublicae fructus
iiberiores invenimus attulisse. Attendentes igitur praeclara merita venerabilis patris Johannis archiep.
Ebor., Angliae primatis, nuper cancelarii nostri, quem in rebus gerendis, nedum nostri profectus, set juris
et justitiae magnum novimus zelatorem et in eorum cultu claritate fidelitatis et providentiae praelucere,
necnon impensa nobis per eum obsequia fructuosa, diutumis laboribus lacessitum, qui jam vergens in
senium contemplacioni nititur inhaerere, factus pro nobis apud Deum sedulus intercessor, dignum immo
debitum fore decernimus ipsum in opportunitatibus gratiis et favoribus praevenire et ab inquietationum
dispendiis praeservare.
Cum itaque placitum pendeat per breve nostrum coram thesaurario et baronibus nostris de scaccario
inter nos et ipsum archiepiscopum, ac homines et tenentes suos libertatis suae de Hextildesham, et a diu
pendiderit, ex eo quod ipse ac homines, etc., sui ostendant si quid pro se habeant, vel dicere sciant, quare
de porcione ipsos de decimis, quintaedecimis, lanis et aliis subsidiis, nobis per communitatem regni nostri
AngHae, diversis vicibus, a tempore quo dicti regni gubernacula suscepimus, concessis, contingente
onerari, et nobis non debeant respondere. Nos ut idem archiep. divinis obsequiis et orationibus in quibus
animae nostrae utitur interesse, hberius intendere valeat, volentes ejus tranquillitati et quieti favorabiliter
providere, de gratiae nostrae plenititudine pardonavimus et remisimus eidem archiep. et hominibus, etc.,
libertatis suae predictae, onines portiones ipsum archiep. ; ac homines, etc., suos, de decimis, etc., nobis
pro toto tempore praeterito, per communitatem ejusdem regni concessis, et imposterum, quamdiu idem
archiep. vitam duxerit in humanis, concedendis ratione hbertatis predictae, vel bonorum suorum infra
eandem libertatem contingentes ; et ipsos de dictis decimis, etc., pro toto tempore praeterito, per dictam
communitatem nobis concessis et exnunc tota vita predict! archiep. concedendis, libertatem predictam
tangentibus, exoneramus et quietamus per presentes.
-Salvis nobis et heredibus, nostris actione et jure, si que ad hujus modi decimas, etc., nobis vel
heredibus nostris per communitatem dicti regni nostri Angliae, post mortem predicti archiepiscopi
concedenda in dicta libertate de Hextildesham, sicut alibi in comitatu Northumbr. petend. et habend.
habeamus ; quibus actioni et juri nolumus post mortem predicti archiep. colore presentium, in aliquo
derogari [July 20, 1359].' Rymer (Record Ed.), III. i. p. 436.
- York Rc-gisters, Melton, fif. 404 b, 405 b. Rot. Chart. 13 Ed. II. No. 9.
' In modern times the term Hexhamshire has been restricted to this ward.
' Comprising the modern parish of St. John Lee, with the adjacent chapelry of St. Oswald, in short all
that part of Hexhamshire which lies on the north side of the Tyne.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 2"]
Allenton and Catton grieveship, and West Allen and Keenley grieveship.
The courts were usually held in the months of May and November of each
year, about the time of the feasts of Whitsuntide and St. Martin
(November 1 1). It was then that the juries of each ward or grieveship met
the archbishop's officials, to present offenders, hold inquisitions, and decide
causes. The number of men comprising a jury seems to have varied
between twelve and eighteen, though perhaps the number fifteen was more
often selected than any other. These juries, besides their judicial work, also
selected the local officials for the year. The following list will show the
names and nature of these officials for the various years which are
indicated :
Park and Forest Jury. 1672.
We present Robt. ffairles & Jn. Sheild for constables in ye fforrest. Tho. Rowle for constable in
ye Park. Jn. Braidwood & Hugh Sheild of Acton for swome men in ye Forest. Cuthb. Rodham for
survaer in the Park. Tho. William of Hay Rake for survaer in the Forest.
Allenton and Catton Jury. 1672.
Constables for Catton grevshipp : Cuthb. Howden, Jo. Hornsby, to enter at Christmas. Constables
for Allendaile : Jn. Sheild for ye Rideing, Jn. Errington for Hovvsty. Sworne men for Catton greevshipp:
Tho. Wiggam ye smelter, Tho. Blacklock. Surveighour for Catton greevshipp : Robt. Bowman.
Surveighour for Allendaile : Jn. Rickerdson for the Parkeside. Sworne men for .Allendaile : Jn. Sparke
for the Scoteshaw, Jn. Tallentyere.
West Allen and Keenley Jury. 1679.
Constables for West Alindale: Jn. Wiliamston for ye Haisliewell, Jn. Sparke for Driburne. Constables
for Keenlie : Michaell Wilkinson for ye Gilshous. Swomemen for West Alindale : Wm. Teasdale for
Haisliewell, Mich. Armstrong for ye Middle. Surveyors for West Alindale : Wm. Lee for ye Smaleburnes,
Hen. Dickson for ye Clughfoot. Swornemen for Keanlie: Tho. Sparke for Burnelaw, Tho. Jackson for
Huntergap. Surveyor for Keanlie: Geo. Winter for ye Hoaksteal.
Newlands and Rowley Ward Jury. 1707.
I constable for Mid Quarter ; i constable for town of Wall ; i surveyor of high ways.'
The duty of the constable was to arrest and present at the courts the
various petty offenders in his district. This officer seems to have been more
concerned with what may be termed breaches of the bye-laws than with
more serious and criminal offences. The surveyors were obliged to see to
the maintenance of roads and bridges, and to provide for their repair when
defective. The tenure of both offices was for a year only, and the persons
who filled them were apparently chosen in order of rotation. The office was
not a coveted one, and the juries were not infrequently obliged to fine a
' Hexham Manor Rulls, sub aniiis.
■ 28 HEXHAMSHIRE.
refractory constable or surveyor, who refused to perforin his duties or to
undertake the office/
Such was the basis upon which the government of Hexhamshire
was founded. The executive was placed in the hands of a number of
officials, each of whom owed his appointment to the archbishop, and who
might be dismissed, without appeal, by the same hands. Of these officials by
far the most important was the bailiff, who corresponded almost exactly to
the sheriff, in the districts immediately under the control of the Crown. It
seems to have been usual to appoint a new bailiff almost every year, or at
least, with great frequency. This was probably from motives of policy, for
the office was both lucrative and influential, and the occupant, if left too
long in the enjoyment of it, might easily become all but independent.
However, in 1364, Archbishop Thoresby appointed the existing bailiff
Richard de Ask for life, and gave him power to appoint a deputy.^
This precedent, if not followed immediately, seems to have given the
signal for appointments over a considerable period of time, and in the
sixteenth century, and subsequently, appointments for life became the rule.
The bailiff was the chief financial officer of the archbishop : all moneys,
rents, taxes, fines, forfeitures,^ etc., passed through his hands, and it was he
' Local institutions have enjoyed a remarkable vitality in England. Forms and customs that existed
in Anglo-Saxon times have survived, with few modifications, to our own day. Considerations such as
these must serve as an excuse for introducing into the history of this early period documents that exclu-
sively belong to the seventeenth century, and which therefore deal with a much later time. The later
information is naturally fuller than that whicli is earlier, and it undoubtedly describes a system which has
been perfected in the course of centuries. At the same time, there is sufficient material in the earlier
documents to warrant the inference that at the period which is being dealt with, local institutions existed
in Hexhamshire in substantially the same form as we find them there later on, in the seventeenth centur)'.
" 'A touz ceaux ge ceste lettre verront ou orront, Johan par la grace de Dieu ercevesque d'Euerwyk,
primat d'Engl', saluz, etc. Come nous eons graunte et done a notre chere vadlet Ricard de Ask, I'office
de baillie de notre fraunchise de Hextildesham a tenir et avoir le dit office au dit Ricard a terme de sa vie
auxi come en noz lettres patentz a lui eut faitz pluis pleinement est contenuz; si volons et grauntons par
nos et noz successours qe bien lise au dit Ricard a terme de sa vie de mettir en y cell office un lieutenant
parqi il voille respondre a occuper eel office en son noum issint qil serveie si rien soit mefTait ou trespasse
devers nos ou noz successors en notre dite fraunchise par le dit Ricard ou son lieutenaunt avauntdit qe le
dit Ricard ne soit en nul maner par cause de celle mefTait ou trespase ostee ou forsinge de son dit office
par nos ne noz successors a terme de la vie le dit Ricard eveiz soit le dit Ricard tenuz affaire eut les
amendes duement a nos et noz successors solonc os qi ley et rcson demandent, auxi bien par lui mesmes
come par son lieutenaunt avauntdit et auxint volons et grauntons par nos et noz successors qi bien lise au
dit Ricard a terme de sa vie destier et renuier touz nos officers, baiUifs et ministers de la dite fraunchise
en maner come auters baillifs de mesme la fraunchise ount fait eveiz ces heures et alters sufficiantz mettir
en lours lieu. En tcstmoignance de quelle chose a cestes lettres patentz nos avons mys notre seal. Donn
a Thorp juxt Everwyk le xii jour de Juyn I'an de notre seignoure MCCCI.XIV et de notre translacion
duzisme.' York Rif^istcrs, Thoresby, f. 300 a. It may be interesting to add that the Hexham bailifts have
constantly availed themselves of this privilege of appointing a deputy, the officer thus nominated being
known as the steward.
^ ' Caeterum omnes redditus et fimias et totam pecuniam quam qualitercumque de levandis denariis
et perquisitis aliis levare poteritis apud Eboracum .... una cum tola pecunia quam ab ofificiali
jurisdictionis nostrae de Hextildesham habere poteritis.' York Registers, Greenfield, i. f. 33.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 29
who assessed the amount of the ferin.' He attended all the courts, presided
at all inquisitions, and effected all transfers of land.^ He was bound to look
to the due observance of all the lord's feudal rights, and in this way he
undertook, on behalf of the archbishop, the wardship of minors.' He was
bound to produce criminals and all manner of prisoners for trial before the
justices, as well as the witnesses who were to prove their guilt.' He carried
out the judgment of the court, to imprison, fine, or execute convicted
prisoners,^ to enforce the proper transfer and succession of property, and to
distrain on refractory and excommunicated tenants." Apparently he also
had the power of appointing to many of the subordinate offices in the
regality," and at least on one occasion he nominated to the important post
of coroner.' Like the king's sheriffs he held his tourn and view of
frankpledge," in short all the executive powers of the liberty were centred
in him. His privileges were apparently regarded as a vested interest, for
when the regality was made a part of Northumberland in 1572 it was
especially provided that the bailiff should retain ' all liberties and privi-
ledges for executing of process, return of writs, and otherwise as they or any
of them of right ought to have before the making of this act.""
Next in importance to the bailiff were the justices. These were
appointed by writ of the archbishop, apparently as occasion required, for
assizes and gaol delivery, that is to say for civil and criminal cases. The
justices were selected from among the gentry of the surrounding country.
Two or three appointments occur in most years, and though the same names
constantly recur, the grouping is rarely identical. The names of bailiffs and
ex-bailiffs are exceedingly common."
The coroner, who was probably the nominee of the bailiff, was entrusted
with all matters connected with the pleas of the Crown. If the archbishop
' York Registers, Melton, f. 417 b. Ihiil. Creenfield, i. f. 45 a. ' Ibiii. Melton, ff. 413 b, 425 a.
' Ibid. Greenfield, i. f. 53 b. ' Rot. Hund. apud Hodgson, Northumberland, III. i. p. loS.
° 'Willelmus, etc., dilecto filio Thome de Fetherstanhalgh ballivo nostro de Hextildesham, salutem.
Tibi precipimus et mandamus quod quocienscumque tibi per certificationem fratris Thomae de Appelton,
custodis jurisdictionis nostre ibidem, constiterit legitime de aliquibus rcbellibus et obstin.atis tcnentibus
nostris infra dictam jurisdictionem nostram qui ipsius monitis et mandatis contcmpmbiliter parere
recusavcrint, claves ecclesiasticae correctionis contempnendo per quadraginta dies excommunicationis
sentenciam ab eodem custode legitime latam sustinuerint animo indurato, ipsos extunc per auxilium
brachii secularis in corporibus eorumdem, prout justum fuerit, distringendo, ad satisfactionem canonicam
compellere non postponas. Vale. Data apud Selcby v. Idus Julii pontificatus nostri anno septimo.
[i I July, 1324].' York Registers, Melton, f. 418 b.
' Supra, p. 28 n. " York Registers, Melton, f. 415.
" Rot. Hund. apud Hodgson, Northumberland, III. i. p. 108.
'" See Wright, Hexham, p. 109 n. " York Registers, Zouche, f. 294 a.
30 HEXHAMSHIRE.
did not directly appoint him, he had the power of removing a person who
displeased him, and in February, 1332, Archbishop Melton dismissed Hugh
de Eryngton for incapacity, and ordered the bailiff to appoint some
one else.'
The receiver was the servant and assistant of the bailiff, to whose office
his own was complementary. He collected the rents and ferms which were
due to the archbishop, and paid them into the hands of the bailiff. He paid
a fee to the bailiff, apparently for the privilege of exercising his functions. -
On the 15th of February, 1358, in conformity with a step taken
previously by King Edward HI., Archbishop Thoresby appointed Thomas
de Ughtred, Thomas de Seton, and Thomas de Fencotes, knights, with
Peter de Richmond, to be justices of the peace for Hexhamshire. Their
duties were modelled upon those of similar officials in the rest of the
kingdom.' The other officials of the shire, whose titles may be found in all
parts of the archiepiscopal registers, occupied positions inferior to those
named above. Their titles in most cases sufficiently indicate the functions
they exercised. They are the supervisor of the manor, the forester, the
sergeant, the guard of the spiritualities, the penancer (the duties of these
two latter officials were usually exercised by the prior or a canon of
Hexham), the court officials, the auditor, and the gaoler, all of whom were
appointed bv writs of the archbishop.^
Such was the government under which the men of Hexhamshire lived
throughout the Middle Ages. Manifestlv Archbishop Thomas, by the act
' York Registers, Melton, f. 431 a. - Ibitl. ff. 55 b, 417 b.
^'Johannes, etc., venerabilibus viris dominis Thome de Ugthred, Thome de Seton, at Thome de
Fencotes, mihtibus; et Petro de Richemond, salutem. Sciatis quod nos tranquilhtati et quieti populi
infra hbertatem nostram de Hextildesham commorantes intinie affectantes, assignavimus vos conjunctim
et diversim ad pacem ac statuta apud Wynton et Northampton pro conservacione pacis hujusmodi edita
in omnibus et singulis suis articulis infra dictam libertatem nostram consen'andum et conservari faciendum,
et ad omnes illos quos contra forniam statutorum predictorum delinquentes inveneritis seu invenerit aliquis
vestrum insequendum. arestandum, et capiendum, et eos juxta vim, formam, et effectum statutorum
eorumdem puniendum ; assignavimus enim vos tres vel duos vestrum ad inquirendum per sacramentum
probonim tt legalium hominum de libertate predicta per quos rei Veritas melius sciri poterit et inquiri de
quibuscumque feloniis et transgressionibus infra libertatem predictam qualitercumque factis ; et ad
omnes illos quos in hac parte indictari contigerit insequendum arestandum et capiendum, et in prisona
nostra custodiri faciendum donee inde deliberentur secundum legem et consuetudinem regni Anglie. Et
ideo nos requirimus et rogamus quod ad certos dies et loca quos vos tres vel duo vestrum ad hoc provi-
deritis inquisiciones inde factas et premissa omnia et singula faciatis et expleatis in forma predicta. Man-
davimus enim ballivo libertatis predicte quod ad certos dies et loca quos vos ei scire faciatis, venire faciat
coram vobis tot et tales probos et legales homines de libertate predicta per quos rei Veritas in premissis
melius sciri poterit et inquiri, et quod vobis et cuilibet vestium in premissis omnibus et singulis faciendis
el exequendis pareat et intendat. Data, etc., xv. die Februarii anno quarto.' Ibid. Thoresby, f. 299 b.
* Ibid. Booth, f 134 b. ; Melton, ft". 51 b, 400 b, 435 a; Greenfield, ii. f. 37 b: Bowet, i. f. 335 a;
Kempe, f. 177 a ; Nevill, f. 45 b, etc.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY.
31
of Uthred and the gift of King Henry I., had entered upon a magnificent
inheritance. Over the inhabitants of the shire and their property he exercised
an almost unchecked control, and from them he derived a rich income. No
rent roll exists for this early period, nor is there any record of the regality
and its tenants for many years to come. About the year 1295, however, a
subsidy was taken in the shire. A record of this taxation exists, and is a
most useful and interesting document, but unfortunately its value is seriously
impaired by the imperfect condition of the manuscript, which is in a very
bad state of preservation. Many gaps cannot now be filled up, but the total
amounts remain, and among the names that occur some interesting ones will
be noticed.
Nomina debitorum . . .
Edwardi vicesimo tertio (?).
[Hextildejsham
De Gilberto Tufote
De Alano filio Helle
De Waltero fullone
De Laurencio sutore
De Roberto de Sandou...
De Henrico Derlinfj
De Alano de Hulland ...
De Rogero del Batbous
De Thoma h
De Rogero de . . ffodcn
De Henrico
De Willelmo de Hetona
Subsidy Roll for i295(?)'
domino regi concesse in libertate de Hextildisham anno regni regis
De
Laurencio . .
dde
De
. . . k
De
. . . filio Rr
geri
De
. . . de .
De
. . de . .
. Drax ...
)•
De
Roberto Honirer
De
Ada de Rouley
. de D . .
De
. . . de .
d.
2
6
4i
9i
4
10
7h
6A
9
5i
loi
4
10
1.
5I
del
wy
De Roberto filio Rogeri
De Johanne Pistore
De . . . filio Benet
De Philippo del
De Roberto
De fil . . . de Benedicto
4i
I
6
0
.*
0
■2
I
9
I
10
4
0
I
2.1-
d.
De . . del D . . .
De . . . don ....
I
3
De
De Henrico filio Eley ...
I
7i
De Simone E
I
loi
.Summa,"6os. gld.
De . . . Willelmi ...
I
3i
De . . . filio Nicholai
I
4
De Henrico del Welle ...
I
8i
De Willelmo ...
I
3i
De Johanne filio Ricardi
3
5i
De Willelmo filio Ade ...
2
3i
De Willelmo filio Willelmi
->
loi
. . . -filio Willelmi ...
I
io|
. . . d filio Willelmi
2
[De] I'hillipo de Grenemo
2
1 1
. del stance
I
9
. . . filio Radulfi
I
io|
. . . I Hille
3
oi
[De] Ada stirpot
I
81
[De] Ada del Gappc
I
10
[De] Henrico filio Bertram
I
6i
De Eua vidua ...
2
°i
De Edmundo de Rouley
I
De Roberti filio Waited
2
4l
De Thoma filio .'Xdc
3
9i
De Henrico de amsworth
n
I
De Nicholao filio Gamel
I
4i
De Gilberto fabro
I
4
Exchequer, Lay Subsidy, --j\,-.
32
HEXHAMSHIRE.
De Willelmo cle Catteclen
s.
2
d.
'4
De Radulfo . . . ochewil
I
9l
De Willelmo de . . . R
2
9k
De Patricio de Buckeley
I
4j
De Waltero de Bingefel
I
5l
De Alexandre de Herdisley
I
8.^
De Stephano de eadem...
I
oj
De Willelmo filio Ricardi
2
7l
De Hugone de Herdisley
I
9-^
Summa, 68s. i ijd.
. Molend'
,
3i
. R
I
•>i
2
8i
. filio Walteri
2
oi
de Haydon
I
2?
. filio Margarete...
I
i|
. de Holteley
I
H
. da vidua de eadem
I
8f
Summa, 13s. 8id.
De Willelmo filio Alani
I
10
De Willelmo de Sandou
I
7
De Rogero bercatore ...
I
oh
De R . . . filio Elie
0
3i
De
Roberto starler
I
2*
Summa, Ss. ojd.
[Rou] ley
De Thoma del Bathous
De Rogero vndirwode ...
De Thoma de Rouley ...
De Ada de . . . sted
Summa, 7s. 2d.
De Roberto filio Gamell
De Willelmo d . . .
. . filio Robert!
De Johanne filio Godefridi
De Willelmo de Gonewarlon
De Ada filio Elstani
De Roberto de Walle ...
De Roberto filio Ricardi
. . . Rouley
. . . Haliden
[Sum]ma, 4^5. 6d.
Bingefeld
De Waltero de Beumound
De Willelmo R . . .
De Kogero bercatore ...
T
3
2
6
2
10
3
oi
2
■i
2
■i
0
of
, 1
I
9
10
6i
3
I
14
8i
De Willelmo Pratt
De Ricardo filio Ade ...
De Ada filio Walteri ...
De Roberto de B . . .
De Roberto de . . . .
De Johanne filio . . .
De Rogero
De Waltero
De Willelmo Oliu
De Ada filio Walteri
Summa . . .
Eringtona Inferior
Dc
De
De Willelmo filio Roberti
De Ada de Walle
De Ada filio ...
De Godefrido de V . . .
De . . . de ....
Summa, . s. lid.
Kep[euyk]
De Roberto filio Gamell
De Willelmo filio Agnetis
De Thoma filio Johannis
De Roberto de Barweford
De Johanne filio Ricardi
De Johanne filio Willelmi
De Willelmo de Catteden
Summa, los. . id.
Eryngtona Superior
De Emma vidua
De Willelmo de Midiltona
De Roberto Bemound ...
Faloufeld
De
De . . . filio Johannis
De Willelmo . . . hil
De Johanne filio Henrici
Summa, I is. 8|d.
Bokelef
De
De Ada filio Halot
De Willelmo preposito ...
De Ada filio Thome
De Waltero filio Willelmi
De Ricardo filio Ade ...
De Ada filio Johannis ...
De Ricardo filio Hulot ...
De Roberto filio Ricardi
Summa, 19s. lod. (sic).
s.
d.
3
4
'i
10
2
0
I
0
0
A
3l
0
8i
■k
3 -i
2 '.h
' 7i
• Si
' 7i
1 4
• 4
I 3
I 7
I I
I '4
4l
2 7
I
3
I
Si
2
0
1
loi
3
a
I
9i
I
5
2
7
2
I
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY,
33
Sand[hoe]
De Ricaido filio Willelnii
s. d.
3 41
De Ada filio Isak
I 0.',
De Petro filio Edmiindi
2 sl
De Johanne filio Robcrti
2 4
De . . . t . . . vidua ..
I oi
De Roberto filio Edemundi
I 6
De Waltero de . . .
2 0
De Hawysia vidua
12 6i
Summa, 17s. 74'd. (xic).
Aynewyk
De Rogero de Walle ...
2 oi
De Henrico MoIend[inario]
I si
De Radulfo preposito ...
De Ricardo de Dalis ...
r 9i
I 10
De Hawysia vidua
1 5i
De Randulfo fabro
I 8
De Rogero de Daltona...
I iii
De Johanne de Walle ...
I 10
De Rogero braciatore ...
I 2i
Summa, 15s. 7d.
Walle
De Sampsone del Welle
3 8
De Randulfo filio Edemundi
1 9l
De Thoma fabro
I iiA
De Agnete vidua
I 3
De Alicia vidua
I 2
De Bruneman
I 2
De Gilberto Todde
' 5
De Randulfo filio Ricardi
I 2h
De Willelmo filio Agnetis
2 9
De Thoma filio Ricardi
I 2i
De Johanne filio Willelmi
De Willelmo del Bathous
I 2h
I 4i
De Ricardo filio Gilberti
I 2i
Summa, 21s. 4id.
[Ak]um
De Willelmo preposito
De Ricardo filio Rogeri
De Matilda vidua
2 4
I li
I 3
De Johanne filio Henrici
De Martino de W . . .
0 10
2 8
De Willelmo filio
0 5
De Ricardo filio ....
0 5
De Bru
0 2
De Johanne ...
De Rogero
Summa, . . .
Ninebankes
De Thoma de Thirlwale
2 7i
De Johanne filio Johannis
De Cristiana vidua
2 6i
I 5
Vol. III.
De Ada I\lolend[inario]
De Randulfo de P . syd
De Agneta de cadcm ...
De Ada paruo
De Randulfo spern
De Willelmo de Hewcrlawe
De Roberto filio Vtred ...
De Eda vidua ...
De Johanne Stodclond ...
De Willelmo filio Gilberti
De Willelmo preposito ...
De Stephano forestario ...
De Roberto Storoure ...
De Willelmo filio Thome
Summa, 29s. 6|d.
De Patricio forestario ...
De Johanne filio Ylef ...
De Willelmo filio Patricii
De Ricardo de Wolfingham
De Ricardo Cuper
De Elya filio Willelmi ...
De Roberto filio Willelmi
Summa, 12s. lojd.
[Cattejden
De Willelmo del hille ...
De Patricio filio Ricardi
De Bertram
De Hugone preposito ...
De Willelmo filio Ylef ...
De Willelmo filio Simonis
Summa, 7s. 74d.
[Ahvjentona
De Hugone de Mora ...
De Willelmo filio Willelmi
De Johanne Bercatore ...
De Johanne filio Hugonis
De Roberto filio Hugonis
De Willelmo filio Willelmi
Dc Laurencio Vlese
De Patricio Scort
Dc Johanne del Stanstil
De Rogero de Knol
De Alano filio Willelmi...
Summa, i6s. g|d.
De Thoma de Eringtona
De Antonio de eadem ...
De Rogero de Coceley ...
De Hugone Thor
De Johanne de Wallil ...
Summa, 37s. 84CI.
s.
d.
I
2
I
6|
I
6
I
3
I
2
2
3
I
li
I
5
I
9h
I
4i
0
..|
'>
3h
I
3
I
loi
3
3i
I
7
I
1 1
-,
7
I
If
I
4i
I
0
I
2i
I
0
2
oi
I
3i
I
0
I
I
0
9
I
5i
I
3*
I
7
I
I
I
2|
I
7i
I
8i
'
7I
10
2
4
10
1 1
0
5
4l
34 HEXHAMSHIRE
s. d.
[duojdecim [one]rati
De Matheo de Catteden ... 2 4i
s. o.
De Ada Forestario ... ... 2 3
De Ada V'nite... ... ... 2 8
De Johanne de Binkefeld ... i i|
De Henrico del Syde ... ... 4 iii
De Roberto de Eringtona ... 3 3
De Rogero de Simondcburne ... 2 2
Summa, 33s. io|d.
De Johanne de Roiiley ... ... 3 loj
De Willelmo Wacy ... ... 3 oi
De Phillippo dc Helena ... 3 34
De Roberto dc Hinsty ... ... 2 7
De Thoma Scot ... ... 2 4I
Summa omnium summarum suprascriptarum, £2^ 5s. 2-Jd.
De Johanne de Wa . se de vndecima domini regis, 9s. yd
. ptu. huius rotuh hberatum est Rogero de W[ha]lton BaUiuo liberatus de . . . .
coram baronibus de scaccario et prcceptum est per predictos Barones .... Rotul ....
anno rcgni regis Edwardi xxiii° (?).
It will be observed that there were 236 tenants, who paid a gross sum
of _^25 5s. 25d. One circumstance is certainly striking, for while there were
178 tenants in He.xhamshire and the vSt. John Lee district, the whole of
Allendale only supported 58. The uncertainty as to the date is unfortunate,
because in 1296 the Scottish inroads began, and it would be interesting to
know whether the above assessment was taken before or after the invasion.
Perhaps the probability lies in favour of its having been taken before,
because the Scots did so much dainage that the lands through which they
passed could hardly have borne to be ta.xed so soon after their departure.
The invasions of the Scots during the period that forms the borderland
between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, were indeed a disastrous
experience for Hexhamshire. This district had been comparatively rich and
flourishing, and was among the most valuable possessions of the see of York.
' It supplies one-third of the revenues of my archbishopric,' wrote Melton in
1 319.' But by the invasions of the Scots the value of the district was
reduced bv at least one half. In the vear ]^i8 it was noted that the
archbishopric of York, which used to be taxed at two thousand marks, could
only bear a tax of a thousand marks on account of the ruin and devastation
of the two manors of Hexham and Ripon, which together supplied more
than half the revenues of the see.^
In January, 13 15, Archbishop Greenfield had fulminated an excom-
munication against the Scots, not only because they had violently broken
into the countrv, but also because thev had irreparablv wasted it with fire
' ' Manerium meum de Hextildesham in quo tertia pars mei archiepiscopatus constitit [June 4, I3I9].'
Northern Registers (Rolls series), p. 290.
^ ' Videlicet archiepiscopatum Ebor., solitum ad duo millia marcarum taxari, propter maneria de
Hextildesham et de Ripon eidem annexata in quibus satis plusquam medietatis valoris archiepiscopatus
consistere consuevit cum eorundem maneriorura tcnentibus et pertinentiis per hostiles aggrcssus Scotonjm
destructa penitus et vastata, de mille marcis [July 26, 1318].' Ibid. p. 280.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 35
and sword, had robbed ecclesiastical property, and violated ecclesiastical as
well as lay persons, without regard for condition or sex, killing some,
carrying off others, burning and ravaging wherever they went.^
But all the spiritual thunders of the archbishop were powerless to till
the desolated helds of Hexhamshire, to restore the charred ruins of its
homesteads, or to repeople it with those who had perished by the sword or
hunger in the late awful invasion.
It is doubtful if Hexhamshire ever recovered from the terrible
experiences of these disastrous times. Many fields that had been wasted
remained in that state, and others which were reclaimed by the agricul-
turalist must have proved less fruitful than before. The population would
return reluctantly to a district where the inhabitants were exposed to so
many dangers. Unfortunately scarcely any information exists which throws
any light upon the condition of the regality during the fourteenth century.
No subsidies were paid throughout the whole of the long reign of
Edward III., and therefore this valuable source of information is wanting.
In the year 1337 the manors of the archbishops of York were taxed for some
purpose, and Hexhamshire paid ;^20 9s. 3d. as its share.' In former years it
had paid one-third of a contribution of 2,000 marks, but it is difficult to
institute a comparison on this basis, because the terms of the assessment are
not known. In anv case the amount is extremely small for a large district,
and one-fifth less than the very moderate assessment of the Subsidy Roll
given above. It seems evident that the prosperity of the regality was on the
decline, and- that matters were steadily going from bad to worse throughout
this period. Perhaps under a strong and wise administration the shire might
have recovered its former prosperity. Unfortunately the reverse of this was
experienced, and to the evils of foreign invasion had long been added the
even greater misfortune of a corrupt and mischievous government.
Powers so extensive as those of the archbishops of York over Hexham-
shire were liable to become an abuse in the hands of a subject. Living as
they did far away from the scene of government, everything conspired to
' 'Inter quae manenum nostrum de Hextiklesham et libertatem ejusdem (quae de patrimonio ecclesiae
nostrae Beati Petri Ebor. a priniitiva ejus fundatione existuntj ac caetera loca ad ipsa spectantia, non
tantum violenter invadere, sed etiam irreparabili fractura et incendio consumcre, bona nihilominiis eccle-
siastica contra voluntatem dominorum et custodum eorundem asportare, clericos et ecclesiasticas personas
necnon laicos, absque delectu ctijuslibet conditionis vel sexus, capere, incarcerare et crudeliter jugulare,
pacem et tranquillitatem regis et regni Angliae tanquam latrones publici et depopulatores agrorum
predictis gravissimis honiicidiis, incendiis publicis hostilique incursione niultipliciter perturbare, Dei
timore postposito, non formidarunt hactcnus nee formidant [January 14, 1315].' Northern Keg^istcrs (Rolls
series), p. 240. - Dodsworth MSS. vol. xxviii. ft". 109, 113 b.
36 HEXHAMSHIRE.
draw away from the regality that attention which alone could ensure its just
and orderly administration. The defects of the system soon began to show
themselves. The bailiffs enjoyed almost absolute powers during their term
of office, and bad and unscrupulous men had every temptation to neglect the
calls of justice and attend only to their own interests, with a view of making
as much out of their office as possible. At the close of the reign of Henry
in. the misgovernment of the shire was at its worst. The bailiffs of that
period ruthlessly oppressed the unfortunate tenants, openly bought and sold
justice, and even extended their operations outside the boundaries of the
regality. Roger de Saxton, who was bailiff in 1272, earned a most
unenviable reputation for his harshness and venality.^ Among the inventions
of this man, designed for the purpose of filling his own pockets, was a tax
levied upon all brewing in Hexhamshire, an imposition that went by the
name of ' bailifpotte.' Although there was no justification for this measure,
Saxton and his successors continued to raise money in this way for their
own use from the unwilling tenants, until at last, in 1320, complaints were
brought before Archbishop Melton, who ordered an inquisition to be made
into the matter, and subsequently abolished the abuse. "
It is no slight comment upon the condition of the regality at this period,
that an abuse of so cr}'ing and unjustifiable a character should have existed
fifty years before the archbishop even heard of it.
Other abuses, however, had been brought under notice earlier. When
King Edward I. returned from the Holy Land in 1273 one of his first acts
was to institute an enquiry into all unjust practices, and all encroachments
upon Crown rights, about which he had been assailed with complaints
almost immediately after landing. When the justices reached the north, it
may well be imagined that they learned manv things about the conduct of
affairs in the various liberties there, but particularly about Hexhamshire.
' ' En le temps I'ercevesque Wautre Giffard il luy avoit une baillif qe fu appelle Roger de Saxton qel
preprist sux eus par duresce.' York Registers, ?irelton, f. 406.
" ' Litera ballivo directa ne inquietentur dicti tenentes super ilia exacione que dicitur bailifpotte.
Willelrnus, permissione Divina Ebon archiepiscopus, Anglie primas, dilecto nobis in Chiisto domino
Johanni de Vallibus, ballivo nostro de Hextildesham, salutem cum benedictione et gracia Salvatoris.
Quia intelleximus per inquisicionem ad mandatum nostrum per vos captam et nobis sub sigillo vestro et
eorum per quos capta fuit transmissam, quod illud onus de le bailif pot quod a tenentibus nostris
braciantibus ibidem txigitur non debetur ballivis nostris de jure nisi per extorsionem cujusdam Rogeri de
Saxton tempore bone memorie domini Walieri Giffard predecessoris nostri ballivi de Hextildesham, nos
nolentes tenentes nostros predictos indebite pregravari, ipsos a prestacione dicti bailif pot exoneramus
totaliter, vobis etiam mandantes quatinus ipsos nostros tenentes quietos esse a dicto onere permittatis.
Data apud Killum, quinto Idus Septembris, anno graciae millesimo trescentesimo vicesimo, et pontifi-
catus nostri tercio [9 Sep., 1320].' Ibid.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 37
Such an opportunity of statin<r their grievances was not neglected by the
men of the shire, who drew np a long list of complaints.
The bailiffs of the regality were accustomed, they said, to seize upon
the goods of all persons who had been slain, whether they were felons or no,
and the widows and children of innocent men who had been murdered
could obtain nothing from them. They were, however, quite willing to
connive at the escape of thieves and robbers, who would consent to bribe
them. For example Roger de Saxton, of infamous memory, had in this way
taken ten marks from one William Jolifray ; and the present bailiff, William
de Toluse, had, upon payment of five marks, liberated one Hugh Bulloc,
imprisoned for stealing a calf. The bailiffs had not scrupled to receive
outlaws and safeguard them against the effects of their crimes. In the
execution of the forest laws thev had been most exacting, and had seized
upon all cattle which strayed into the forest of Allendale, absolutely refusing
to surrender them to their owners.
They had not even confined their arbitrary practices to the regality.
Saxton had laid hands upon one Robert de Swinehop outside the regality
and had brought him into the shire in order to lay an accusation against him.
William de Toluse had gone even further, and entered the demesne of the
king of Scotland in pursuit of one John Wily, whom he brought back, right
through Northumberland to Hexham, where he shut him up in the gaol.
There the unfortunate man was murdered, and his body was dragged through
the town and hung on the gallows. Toluse also held a sheriff's tourn, and
fined men, even those living outside the regality, who did not attend.'
''Dicunt quod Roger de Saxton quondam ballivus aichiepiscopi de libertate de Extildesham cepit
Robertum de Swinehop infra comitatum extra libertatem et euni duxerunt de comitatu infra libertatem de
Extildesham et ibi devenit appellator tempore domini Regis Henrici ultimi. Et Wychardus de Charun
tunc vicecomes et Nicholas de Swineburne tunc coronator dictum appellatorem petierint habere ad
prisonam regis eo quod captus fuit in comitatu extra libertatem sed eum habere non potuerunt et ibi
remansit idem appellator donee de predicto carcere evasit.
Item, Willelmus de Toluse nunc ballivus cjusdem libertatis cepit Johannem Wily infra libertatem
Regis Scocie et ipsum duxit per medium comitatus usque libertatem de Extildesham et ipse eum
imprisonavit et in eadem prisona interfectus fuit nescitur qualiter, qui dictum Joh. a carcere extrahens
detrahi fecit cum equis per mediam ville usque ad furcam et ibi eum suspendit.
Idem ballivus tenet turnum vicecomitis pro voluntate sua et amerciat homines manentes extra liber-
tatem qui ad turnum suum non veniunt, contra consuetudinem regni quia vicecomes Northumbrie nullum
turnum tenet in comitatu suo.
Ballivi ejusdem libertatis capiunt omnia bona tarn fidelium interfectorum quam felonum ita quod nee
uxores nee pueri dictorum fidelium aliquid possunt habere de predictis bonis, et diversos latrones quos
capiunt permittunt evadere pro pecunia et multa alia faciunt contra Coronam regis.
Et Roger de Saxton ballivus ejusdem libertatis tempore Henrici Regis ultimi cepit WiUclmum Jolifray
pro quinque libris ab archiepiscopo furatis et cepit de eodem Willelmo x marcas pro quibus promisit eum
evadere ; ita fecit de pluribus aliis cjuorum nomina ignoranlur.
Et ballivi predict! de Extildesham capiunt averia quoruncumquc cum venerint infra forestam archie-
38
HEXHAMSHIRE.
With SO much lawlessness in the officers, it cannot be supposed that the
general condition of the shire was other than one of great disorder. The
Hundred Rolls state, in addition to the facts just mentioned, that one
Lasinus of Hexham had taken the cattle of William Gud of Uilston, had
brought them into Hexhamshire, and refused to give them up.
In spite of the disorderly condition of the regality, and the serious
charges brought against the bailiffs, the privileges of the see of York
remained intact and unassailed for another nineteen vears. In January,
]293, Edward I. issued writs de Quo Warranto, to institute an enquiry into
the titles by which his subjects held their various lands and privileges. The
archbishop could produce no charters or other documents to prove his title
to Hexhamshire, and the king's advocate, William Inge, strongly urged the
abolition of this private jurisdiction. The jury, however, declared that the
archbishops of York had enjoved these privileges from time immemorial, and
in accordance with this verdict Hexhamshire remained with its former lords
on the same conditions as before.'
piscopi dc Alwendale ct ta inparcant et dicta averia nolunt per plevinam dimittere nee visum de eisdem
aliquibus faccre secundum consuctudinem comitatus sed ea retinent ad opus ejusdcm archiepiscopi.
Et iidem ballivi receptant homines utlagatos scilicet W'illelmum Jolifray et alios quorum nomina
ignorantur.
Et Willelmus de Tuluse, nunc ballivus ejusdem libertatis, cepit de Hugo. Bulloc capto et incarcerato
pro uno vitulo furato in eadem libertate v marcas et sic permisit eum evadere.
Item, Lasinus de Extildesham cepit averia Willelmi Gud de Diveliston in comitatu Northumbrie et ea
duxit infra libertatem predictam et adhuc ea detinet contra vadium et placitat ad dampnum x marcas
tempore regis nunc' Rot. Hiind. apud Hodgson, Northumberiaitd, III. i. pp. io8-g.
' '.\rchiepiscopus Ebor. summonitus fuit cjuod esset hie ad hunc diem ostensurus quo warranto clamat
quod quocienscunque justiciarii hie itinerantes ballivo ejusdem archiepiscopi de Hextildesham capitula
Corone que infra comitatum hie placitari contigerit liberent ad placitandum per justiciaries suos quos ad
hoc assignare voluerit de omnibus capitula ilia tangentibus que in manerio suo de Hextildesham
emergunt, et omnia placita tam Corone quam alia per brevia sua et justiciaries suos in manerio predicto
placitare, et exitus et proficua inde provenientes capere et habere, et omnia que ad assisam vicecomitis et
Corone pertinent per ministros suos facere et exercere. Et quod nullus ballivus regis intrat manerium
suum prcdictum ad aliquod ofificium exercendum. Et custodian! personarum habere et dcliberacionem
eorundem pro voluntate sua facere. Et mercatum, furcas, et catalla fugitivorum et felonum dampnum in
eodem manerio habere que ad Coronam et dignitatem domini regis pertinent sine licencia et voluntate
domini regis et progenitorum suorum.
Et archiepiscopus per attornatum suum venit et dicit quod ipse clamat omnes predictas libertates ab
antiquo. Et dicit quod ipse et omnes predecessores sui a tempore quo non extat memoria abscjue aliqua tem-
poris interupcione usi sunt predictis libertatibus. Et hoc paratus est verificare sicut curia consideraverit, etc.
Et Willelmus Inge qui sequitur pro domino rege petit quod inquiratur pro ipso domino rege qualiter
predictus archiepiscopus et piedecessores sui usi fuerunt, etc. Et si alicfuod occupaverint super ipsum
dominum regem, etc. Et qualitercunque compertum fuerit per inquisicionem, etc., dicit quod predicte
libertates mere sunt regales et Corone domini regis impedientes cum nulH liceat in regno cancellarios et
justiciaries proprios habere sine licencia et voluntate ipsius domini regis. Et predictus archiepiscopus
nullum factum speciale ostendit factum sibi vel alicui predecessorum suorum per nullum Regum .Anglie
petit judicium pro ipso domino rege, etc.
Juratores dicunt super s.acramentum suum quod predictus archiepiscopus et omnes predecessores sui
a tempore quo non extat memoria usi fuerunt hujusmodi libertatibus in eadem forma qua predictus
archiepiscopus eas modo clamat.
Dies datus est eis de audiendo judicio suo a die Sci. Johannis Baptiste in xv dies coram domino rege,
etc., ubicunque, etc' Placila di (Juu Warranto apud Hodgson, Nortlutinhcrland, 111. i. pp. 143-4.
HISTORY OF THE RF.GAI ITV. 39
Among the few rights enjoyed by the kings of England in Hexhanishire
was that of an entire disposition of the regality every time the see of
York became vacant. Thus in the year 1299, upon the death of Archbishop
Henry de Newark, the king superseded the existing bailiff Roger de
Whalton by a nominee of his own, Sir John de Vaus.^ When Archbishop
Corbridge was appointed, Sir John naturally gave way to Henry de Menill,
the nominee of the new lord, but in 131 2 and in 131 5 he again appears as
bailiff on the nomination of Archbishop Greenfield.^ On April 5th, 1340,
Archbishop Melton died, and Hexhamshire as usual came into the hands of
the king, who appointed William de Felton as guardian of the temporalities
of the libertv.' William le Zouche was elected by the chapter on May
2nd, but he had not received the pallium, and on the 13th of the same
month King Edward granted the manor of Hexham to Edward Balliol, the
so-called king of Scotland, during such time as the see of York should be
vacant, to help him to maintain a force of twenty men at arms in the royal
service.* Zouche did not receive the pallium before July 6th, 1342, and
perhaps Balliol remained in possession until then, though this is hardly
probable. At all events it is a curious circumstance that the king should
dispose of the regalitv when Melton's successor had already been selected.
In the year 1342, Edward was again dealing with the regality. The war
with Scotland was then agitating men's minds, and the king was anxious to
gather soldiers from everv available quarter. Accordingly he issued a
proclamation of free pardon to all the grithmen' of Hexhamshire if they
' York Regislers, Corbridge, i. 90 b. " Ibut i. 76 a ; Greenfield, ii. 37 l:i, 46 a.
* Origiiialia Rolls apud Hodgson, Nvrtlitnnbcrland, III. ii. p. 316.
* ' Le Roi d'Escoce se chargera de vynt honimes d'armes et pur mealh meyntener son estat, avera la
garde del nianoir de Hextildesham od les appurtenances qui est de I'Ercevesque d'Everwyk durant la
\acation de niesmes I'Ercevesqee. Et soit son gree faite de ccc Ii. dont il ad tallies, par voie
d'asslgnement alllours, sur la Disme blennale en la Dioc. d'Everwyk.
Le seigneur de Ros, et Monsr. Rauf dc Bolmer ... ... xx homines d'armes.
Monsr. Johan de Wylughby ... ... ... ... ... xv hommes d'armes.
Monsr. Henr' fitz Hugh ... ... ... ... ... n' hommes d'armes.
Mens. Adam de Webb ... ... ... ... ... x\- hommes d'armes.
La soumme, h*.
Rot. Pari (Lond. 1832) ii. p. 115 b.
Assentuz est par le counseil que le Roi d'Escoce eit trois cenz livres sur la portion demoraunt devers le
roi de la biennale graunte a notre Seignur le Roi en la Diocise d'Everwyk sur les despens Et soit
mandez a I'Evesque de Duresmc, a Seignur de Percy, et a Monsr. Rauf de Nevill, que eue regard a ce
que le manoir de Hextildesham est assignez au dit Roi d'Escoce en eide de sa sustenance durant la
Voidance de I'Erceveschee d'Everwyk, et que meisme cesti roi est ordeignez d'aler as parties de Cardoill'
pur demorer sur la guerre od xl hommes d'armes ; lui facent assigner ascun certein place en la countie
Cardoill, ou aillours en lieu covcnable, pur sustenance de lui et des ditz gentz d'armes, issint que le
resceivour du leu cnt soit chargez.' Ibid. p. 1 19 b. C/. Cal. State Papers, Scotland, iii. 1335.
" Grith is a Saxon word meaning peace. By a curious turn of language grithmen appears to be used
here for those who had broken the peace, i.e., outlaws.
40
HEXHAMSHIRE.
would join his forces. Those who complied with this proclamation would
thus be withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the archbishop's justices, and
although the king was probably acting within his rights, his proceedings bear
the appearance of an encroachment upon the privileges of the regality.'
In the year 1356 the privileges of the archbishop were again called in
question, but as the jury once more reported that they had been enjoyed
from time immemorial matters remained unchanged.^ This was not always
to be the case, however. The various private jurisdictions of the north had
come to be a serious abuse, and the laxity with which they were governed
made this part of the kingdom utterly unsafe for all quiet and law-abiding
people. By the beginning of the fifteenth centurv the question had
assumed national importance. In the Parliament of the vear 1414 a
petition was brought forward asking the king to curtail the privileges of
these franchises. The commons complained bitterly of the state to which
the whole of the north border had been reduced by reason of the mis-
government of these districts. Murders, treasons, homicides, robberies, and
other crimes were, they declared, dailv committed there bv the lawless men
of the franchises, who moreover encouraged the Scots to help them in
plundering their neighbours, to carry some of them away as prisoners, and
demand a ransom for them. These brigands could not be punished
because the king's officers had no powers in these districts. The
Commons, therefore, petitioned that if any of the men of Tynedale or
Hexhamshire committed a murder or any other felony outside their liberty,
that proceedings might be taken against them bv the common law. The
men themselves might be arrested bv the officers of the liberty, and their
forfeited goods and chattels would be the property of the lord of that
liberty, but the matter of importance was that thev should be brought to
justice by the ordinary criminal procedure. If, however, the officers of
these franchises did not do their dutv in this matter, and were found guilty
of neglect before the king's justices, they were to be condemned to a fine of
;^20, one-half to go to the plaintiff, the i-est to the king.
The terms of this petition were granted in their entirety, with the
exception of the punishment proposed for those bailiffs who neglected to
arrest malefactors in their liberty.' Perhaps the absence of this provision
' Memorials of Ripon, Surt. Soc. p. So. "■ See supra, p. 25 n.
' ' Le roi voet, que si ascune pirsone des dit? fraimchises de Tyndale at Exhamshire, resceant ou
demurant deinz ycelles, de quell esiat ou condition il soit, face muidres, etc, ou consente de les faire hors
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 4 1
seriously impaired the efficiency of the Act. At all events the terms of the
Act were far from being exact enough to exclude many interpretations of its
meaning. In the matter of treason the contrary jurisdictions of the king
and the archbishop were hardly so clearly defined as might have been
expected. In the year 1487 King Henry VII. thought it necessary to write
a letter of explanation to Archbishop Rotheram for having arrested two
traitors in Hexhamshire. His letter runs as follows :
Most reverend fadir in Godd, ryght trusty and ryght entierly wellbiloved, we grete you hertely well.
And for so moche as at your instance, whiche we take tenderly to hert, we ne woll nor have attempted
anythyng against the privilaiges and fraunchises of your lordshipp of Hexham, we therefore and for the
evidence of the mater to be take in remembraunce herafter certifie you that our traytors Thomas
Redshawe and Herbart Redshawe have bene reigned and convicted upon high treason agenist our
personne and for yat onely and not for petite tresone ne felonye executed, which we ne woll to be
prejudice or derogacion to your said fraunchise in that behalf, and if any of his adherentcs happyn to be
taken or executed they shalbe raigned uppon the same high treason and not uppon no petite treason ne
felonye. Yevyn undre oure signet at our citie of Duresme the xx" day of August (1487).'
This letter, in spite of its apologetic tone, marks a slight encroachment
upon the privileges of the archbishop, inasmuch as the royal officers had
evidentlv entered the shire for the express purpose of arresting the culprits,
and because the king vindicates such a proceeding in all cases of high
treason. At the same time it is noticeable how great care was used even by
so absolute a prince as Henry VII., to avoid the appearance of encroach-
ment upon the rights of the archbishop, and how anxious the king seemed
to be that those rights should be preserved. This action is characteristic of
the attitude assumed by the English sovereigns throughout the period of
the archiepiscopal ownership of Hexhamshire. In the year 1482 a series of
sumptuary laws were enacted, and it was specially provided that the profits
from fines, etc., should go to the king, except in three districts, namely, the
county palatine of Chester, Hexhamshire, and the bishopric of Durham. -
About fourteen years earlier, however, when the Statute of Liveries was
passed the regality was expressly included as a district in which the Act
should have full operation.'
des ditz fraunchises, proces soil fait devers luy par la commune Ley, tan c|'il soit utlagee. Et q'apres
tiele utlagerie pronuncie et retournee, facent ent les justices, devant queux tiele utlagerie soit retournee,
certification a tieux ministres, ou a tiel ministre, des ditz fraunchises, come a eux semblera meultz celle
partie solonc lour discretion. Et soit tiel felon pres par tiel ministre, ou tieux ministres, et ses terres et
tenementz, biens et chateux, esteantz deinz ycelles fraunchises seisez es mains des segnurs de niesmes
les fraunchises de Tyndale et Exhamshire pur le temps esteantz come forfaitz. Et que les autres terres
et tenementz, biens et chateaux, de tiel felon, esteantz hors de mesmes les fraunchises, demurgent
entierment a roi, et as autres seignurs eiantz ent fraunchises, come forfaitz. Savant toutfoitz a roi les
forfaitures de autieux murdrours, traitours, etc., et d'autres choses queux a luy appartiegnent come de
droit de sa Corone.' Rot. Pari. iv. p. 21.
' York Registers, Rotheram, f 236 a. - Rot. Pari. vi. p. 221 a. ^ Ibii1. v. p. 663 a.
Vol. III. 6
42 HEXHAMSHIRE.
The fourteenth and fifteenth centuries formed a disastrous epoch in the
history of Hexhamshire. The year 1348 was marked indelibly in the minds
of all Englishmen as the year of the Black Death. Hexhamshire suffered in
common with the rest of the country, and though this is not shown by direct
evidence it is clearly proved by the results. It is a historical commonplace
that the plague of the middle of the fourteenth century had so thinned the
population that labourers had become exceedingly scarce, and the price of
labour had consequently risen in an unprecedented degree. The govern-
ment endeavoured, by energetic measures, to put a stop to the operation of
these economic laws, but the Statutes of Labourers fixing a maximum rate of
wages, put forth from lime to time, only remained as a monument of the
incapacity of the legislature to deal with the matter. In 1354 Archbishop
Thoresby, acting no doubt at the instance of the king, caused the provisions
of these statutes to be promulgated in Hexhamshire, threatening the most
severe penalties against those labourers and artisans who refused to work for
want of what they considered a proper rate of wages.'
The plague continued to work its dreadful ravages throughout the
remaining years of the fourteenth century, and during a great part of the
fifteenth. Repeated forays on the part of the Scots added to the already
miserable condition of the people, and made life no better than a burden.
In the Parliament of 142 1 it was stated that the countrv had been so wasted
by disease and famine that where a hundred able-bodied men used once to
dwell, ten could at that moment scarcely be found. The plague had been
' 'Johannes, etc., diloctis et fidelibus suis Roberto D'Ogle, Willelmo de Hepscotes, et Willelmo de
Swynbuine, salutem. Sciatis quod assignavimus vos et duos vestrum justiciarios ad ordinacionem et
statutum de operariis, artificibus et servitoiibus in consilio et parliamento excellentissimi principis domini
nostii Edvvardi regis Anglie illustris, apud Westmonasterium nuper tentis pro communi utilitate regni
dicti domini nostri regis Anglie facta in omnibus et singulis suis articulis infra libertatem nostram de
Hextildesham custodiendum et custodiri faciendum, et ad onines illos quos contra formam eorumdem
inveneritis in aliquo delinquentes castigandum et puniendum prout secundum formam eonmidem fuerit
faciendum, et ad inquirendum de senescallis, ballivis, ministris et aliis quibuscumque qui colore ordina-
cionis et statuti predictorum hujusmodi operarios artifices et servitores ceperunt et eos per fines et redemp-
ciones ad usus suos proprios applicandum, auctoritate sua propria, condicionibus in dictis ordinacione et
statute contentis non observatis deliberarunt, et ad omnia alia et singula que contra formam ordinacionis
et statuti predictorum infra libertatem predictam fuerint attemptata, tam ad sectam nostram quam aliorum
quorumcumque coram vobis conqueri vel prosequi volencium audiendum et terminandum, juxta vim et
effecium ordinacionis et statuti predictorum. Et ideo vobis mandamus quod ad certos dies et loca quos
vos vel duo vestrum ad hoc provideritis inquisiciones super premissis iaciatis, et premissa omnia et
singula audiatis et terminetis in forma predicta, facturi inde quod ad justiciam pertinet secundum vim et
effectum ordinacionis et statuti predictorum ; salvis nobis amerciamentis et aliis ad nos inde spectantibus.
Damns autem universis et singulis ballivis et ministris nostris dicte libertatis quod ad certos dies et loca
quos vos vel duo vestrum eis scire faciatis venire faciatis coram vobis vel duobus vestrum, tot et tales
probos et legales homines de libertate predicta per quos rei Veritas in premissis melius sciri proterit et
inquiri. In cujus rei testimonium has litteras nostras fieri fecimus patentes. Data London, xix die Julii,
anno Domini MCCCLIV'" et nostrae translacionis secundo.' York Rcgistt-rs, Thoresby, f 299 a.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 43
raginfif fiercely for the last three years, and was still busily claiming fresh
victims. The poverty to which the inhabitants had been reduced was so
great that men who had formerly been able to maintain twenty able-bodied
persons in their house could now hardly support themselves. The whole
district had gone out of tillage and a large tract of country lay perfectly
waste. ^ Things being in such a condition, the tenants could not well pav
their rents regularlv to the lord. To such an extent was this the case that,
on the death of Archbishop Bowett in October, 1423, it was found that the
immense sum of ^480 13s. lod., or more than two years' revenue, was owing
to him upon different tenements in Hexhamshire. To expect payment of
these arrears was hopeless, and the whole amount was written off as a bad
debt [debita desperata)"'
Probablv matters improved after the conclusion of the Wars of the
Roses, though such an improvement must necessarily have been very slow.
It is unlikely that succeeding archbishops suffered to the same extent as
Bowett, although it is equally improbable that the regality ever entirely
recovered from the disastrous period that had preceded.
At the beginning of the reign of Henry VII. an estimate was taken of
the value of the regality at that time. For the year running from
September 29th (St. Michael), i486, to the same day in 1487, it was stated
that the regality was worth .^.152 17s. 3^d., payable in two equal portions on
St. Martin's dav and at Whitsuntide. This, together with the sum of iios.
for one-half the ferm of Allenton park, made up a total of ^158 7s. 3^d.
Agistments of divers tenements were reckoned as ^4 6s. 3|^d., which,
together with sundrv returns, amounting to _;^2i os. lod., and the other half
of the ferm of Allenton park at iios., to which were added the ferm of
certain meadows, gave a sum of _2^30 17s. ii^d., the gross value of the
regality to its lord thus being ;^i8g 5s. 3d. Of this sum ^158 7s. 3|d. was
paid to the executors of the late archbishop, w^hile the remainder, being
;^30 i7s. ii|d., belonged to the king on account of the vacanc}' of the see.'
' ' La ou cent hommcs diffensables soloicnt inhabiter iUoques ne demurent a present x persones, et
ceux de petit reputation ou value, par les causes ensuivanlz ; cest assavoir, grauna nonibre de persones
jadis illoeques inhabitez ore sont mortz par les graundes mortalitees et pestilences q'ont illoeques reignez
par trois anz passez, et unqore reignent ; autres prises, emprisonez et tuez par plusours invasions des ditz
enemys,' and the people were so poor that ' ou un des ditz inhabitantz soloit trouer en sa meson xx
persones defensables, ils ne poet a present susteiner soi mesmes, a cause que null.- terre est maynore en
les ditz trois counties {i.e., Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmoreland) par I'espace de loo'Ieucs en
longur et 20 leucs en laiur sur les frunturs de ditz Marches [anno 1421 J.' Rot. Pari. iv. p. 143.
^ Surt. Soc. York Wills, iii. p. 81. ^ Ihid. iv. p. 323.
44
HEXHAMSHIRE.
It is worthy of note that the hite archbishop mentioned above was Lawrence
Booth, who died on 19th May, 1480. His successor, Thomas Rotheram,
had been elected in the following September, and occupied the see at the
time the above survey was made. It is evident that matters must still have
been in an unsatisfactory state in Hexhamshire if it required a period of
seven vears in which to settle and pay off the sums of money due from the
tenants.
The Act of 14 14 had not proved so successful as had been expected in
effecting the pacification of the Borders. Feuds, brawls, raids, and all
manner of lawlessness continued unchecked in the district. At least on one
occasion, the men of the marches, not content with the state of affairs in their
own district, went southwards in search of more fighting. In May, 1441,
some tw^o hundred men from Tindale and Hexhamshire went to Ripon to
celebrate the fair there. At Ripon they behaved themselves as if they had
been the garrison of a besieged town. They paraded the streets with their
weapons and in their harness, they exacted from the unfortunate townspeople
a tax of 6d. or I2d. a day with a ' bouch of court,' and they went 'robling'
up and down the town exclaiming, 'Would God there knaves and lads of the
forest {i.e., Knaresborough) would come hider that we might have a faire
day upon them.' However, the fair terminated, and the 4th of May came
without the arrival of the Knaresborough men to gratify the combative
instincts of the borderers. But they did not mean to return home without
having had some exchange of hard knocks to indemnify them for their long
journey. Accordingly they planned a raid upon the town of Boroughbridge,
and obtained the assistance of 100 men from Beverley, Cawood, and York.
The people of Boroughbridge became aware of what was being prepared
for them, and in some alarm sent to the steward of the lordship of Knares-
borough, Sir William Plumpton, for advice and protection. Plumpton sent
word that the people should remain in the town all night to guard it, while
he himself prepared to appear on the scene on the following morning to
secure the interests of law and order. But in spite of the steward's advice
forty men left the town that night on a private feud, and proceeded to a
place called Thorntonbrigg. It might have gone ill with these forty men,
for the northern freebooters were made aware of their existence by
observing a messenger sent to them by Plumpton. The northerners fell
upon the men of Boroughbridge, who were much inferior in strength, and a
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 45
serious affray might have resulted had not Sir William Plumpton and his
officers arrived in time to put an end to the combat. Archbishop Kemp was
accused of inciting this riot, and he in his turn charged Plumpton with the
offence.' But Plumpton would have no object in fetching freebooters from
the Borders, and if any individual was guilty it was probably the archbishop.
After this curious affair of 1441 there is no record of any fresh outbreak
on the part of the Hexhamshire men. But it would be unreasonable to
suppose that they took no part in the Wars of the Roses. In the year 1464
Northumberland had become the seat of war. The Yorkists were doing
their utmost to crush their foes, while the Lancastrians were straining every
nerve to raise their drooping fortunes. At this time both King Edward IV.
and the earl of Warwick called upon the archbishop of York to array
his clergy against the king's enemies." Hexhamshire would no doubt be
included in this requisition. The laymen of the district had probably
been already called out, for it seems certain that the clergy would only be
called upon to serve after the laity were already under arms.
Sir Humphrey Neville, the bailiff of Hexham at this time, sided with
the Lancastrians, in spite of his name and his blood. He was apprehended
early in the reign of Edward IV., and though he received a pardon for his
treason, he remained a prisoner in the Tower. Soon after, however, he
contrived to escape, and made his way to the north. If he was not present
at the battle of Hexham, he took part in the defence of Bamburgh against
the earl of Warwick. He preferred a brigand's life to the regular occupa-
tions of a soldier, and both before and after the events of 1464 he had
commanded a lawless band of freebooters. He seems to have especially
singled out the church of Durham for his attacks, so much so that King
Edward thought it necessary to send the monks of that place special letters
of protection. The defeat of his party made little difference to him. He
continued to lead a wild and lawless life until the year 1469, when he was
captured, taken to London, and beheaded.'
The civil wars served to satisfy the combative instinct of the Hexham-
shire men during the time of their progress. But the advent of the Tudor
monarch did not completely pacify this part of the country as it did the
' Camden Soc. vol. iv. Plumpton Coryespoinkncc, ]3p. liv.-lvii.
' Hexham Priory, i. Illustrative Documents, Nos. Ixxxiv. Ixxxv.
' Ibid. Preface, p. cvii. Illustrative Documents, Nos. Ixxix. Ixxxvii. See also notes to the same.
46 HEXHAMSHIRE.
remainder of England. The men of Hexhamshirc had by no means had
enough of strife, and they continued to be as unruly and pugnacious as ever.
When Wolsey became archbishop of York in 15 14, the regality was in as
disorderly a condition as it had ever been. The chief offices of the shire
were all exercised by Lord Dacre, who was practically the ruler of the
district. The state of the liberty in 15 15 is thus described in a letter from
Thomas Magnus to the archbishop :
After right clone and full humble recommendations unto your grace. Pleas it the same to wit, that as
touching all your causes withj'nne your regallity of Hexham, there hath bene of late some business. For
albeit niylord Dacre oflcrcd to divers \'Our tenants and inhabitants, they being jjoor bodyes, to lay downe
ihayre rents for thayme till thay were able to repay the same agennc to his lordeship ; yet they, and many
other, wold not inclyne to pay thayr rents and dues ; but gave many nawte and frowarde woords. Sir
Christopher Dacre, perceiving this, sodaynly accused divers of the principalis, and commytted them
to warde vvithynne your tour at Hexham. Whereupon sodaynly assembled nigh to the number of 200
persons, and came to the priory there used, as was the said Sir Christopher, and required hym to deliver
unto thayme thayr neghbours that were in warde, or els thay wolde breke the prison, and take thaym
forthwith. The said Christopher charged tha>Tn, in the name of your grace, not soe to doe, but to depart,
as they wold answ-er at thayr pciills. And seeing he was not mete to medle with thayin at that tymc, he
conveyed thaym with polecy. And within 7 dayes after he came sudaynly upon thaym, and hath taken
divers of the principalis, and some of thaym are in warde at Hexham, and soine at Karlyle ; and they
shall remayne till your pleasure be knowne in that behalf And as touching such busy bodyes as fledde,
and woolde not be taken nor come yn, as was coinmanded by my lord Dacre, therefore he caused thayr
houses to be burnt in thayr owne sight, for the more ferefull example to other offenders. And nowe thay
begynne all to submytte themselves. And assuredly my said lorde is mynded, that before my departing I
shall have the substance with me of all such money as is owing to your grace. And both his lordeship,
and the said Sir Christopher Dacre, his broder, applye ihayrin in moste harty maner, that your grace, not
only at this tyme inay be well served, but also contynually from hennesfurth w'ithynne your said regallity
of Hexham. At my commyng up youre grace shall be acertayned in many things touching surveying of
your landes, and ordering of your affaires there. And thence your grace shall have knowlege of many
things, I trust, that by my said lorde's meanes, and good polecy, shall enserve to your proufite and
advantage by the grace of God. Whoe have you, myne especiall and singular good lorde, in his mooste
gracious governance. At Kirk Oswald, the 13th day of February. Your humble priest and bedeman,
T. M.A.GNUS.
To the mooste reverende fader in Christ my especiall and singular good lorde,
my lorde archebushop of York.'
The government of He.xhamshire as carried out under Wolsey and Lord
Dacre, may well be suspected of injustice. Wolsey was leading an
expensive and magnificent life, and being anxious to enjoy all the revenues
to which he considered himself entitled, he pressed for an immediate
payment of the debts due to him from his tenants. Lord Dacre was a
willing instrument in the execution of this task, and though he confessed
that the tenants were miserably poor, he determined to extract the uttermost
' SUUe Papers, Henry VIII. ed. Brewer, ii. 158.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 47
farthing from them, even though the task might prove a difficult and
dangerous one. As it was, the Hrst result of his severe measures was to stir
up a revolt in the shire, and give occasion to much fresh rioting. But by
promptly and vigorously dealing with the offenders, he seems to have
brought the liberty into order, at least for a time. By June of the same
year, he was able to send his faithful henchman Magnus to the archbishop
with the following letter:
My singular and especiall good lord. In mooste humble wise I recommende me unto yo' grace with
hertie thankes for yo'' goode and haisty cxpedicion of my matiers of late sent with the maister of my
college of Graystoke. Certifieng yo' grace that I half bene at Hexham with my fello Mr. Ashcton yo'
chaunceller all this weke passed and there hath kept courtes, and nowc th' enhabitauntes of yo' rigalie
of Hexham be wisdome and pollicie er soo qualified and brought in hobcysaunce that they er nowe in
verrey good rcull ; and yo' rentes never so well annsucrcd there, like as my said fellowc canne reaportc
in every behalf at lienthe which I doubt not he woll shewe yo' grace And further ye woll gyf credence to
my said broder berer herof And the Holy Trinite preserve youe my singuler and especiall good lord.
At Kirk Oswald the xvii day of Juyn. Yours w' hyes ser\'es Thomas Dacre.'
Lord Dacre's 'wisdome and pollicie' seem to have mainly consisted in
distraint and imprisonment, as the preceding letter of his chaplain, Magnus,
serves to show. Discontent and disaffection may be trodden down in this
way, but rarely stamped out. If Lord Dacre had temporarily succeeded in
restoring order in 15 15, a few years later the lawlessness in the regality had
grown worse than ever. On the 17th of July, 1522, the bishop of Carlisle
wrote to Wolsey :
Ther is more thefte and extorcyon by Englishe theffes than ther is by all the .Scottcs of Scotland.
Ther is noo man whiche is noott in a hold strong that hathe or may have any catell or movable in surete
thorough the bushopi-yke, and from the bushopryke till we come within viii myle of Karlisle. All North-
umberland lykewyse, Exhamshyre, whiche loongeth to yo' grace, warst of all: for in Exham itsellffe every
markett day ther is iiii" or a c strong theffes, and the pore men and gentilmen also seethe them whiche
didd robbe them and ther gooddys and dare nother complayne of them by name nor say oone word to
them. They take all ther catell and horse, their corne as they cary hit to sow or to the mylle to gryne
and at ther houses bedd them delyver what they will have or they shalbe fyred and bomt. By this
ungracyusse meane not looked too, all the cuntre gooethe and shall more to waste."
The ringleader of the rioters in He.xhamshire and on the Borders seems
to have been one William Charlton, who is styled by Henry, earl of
Northumberland, 'one of the moost notarious rebell traitours and capteyne
of the great parte of the offenders of thies Borders of England.'^ The poor
gentlemen were not always so opposed to these outlaws as the bishop of
Carlisle supposed, and Eure says of them that they would rather have the
favour of the thieves than join in taking them.'
' State Papers, Hen. VIII. ed. Brewer, ii. 597. '■' Ibid. iii. 2328. ' Ibid. iv. 5954. Charlton was
taken and slain in 1529 by Thomas Errington, a servant of the earl of Northumberland. * Ibid. 1482.
48
HEXHAMSHIRE,
In spite of Lord Dacre's zeal for hiin, Wolsey does not seem to have
been satisfied with the administration of the shire. Dacre had in 1523
collected the rents of the tenants, amounting to £212 3s. 8jd.' This was
over _^22 more than the last recorded rental (that of 1487), but the money
was not paid in promptly enough, and the cardinal wrote a very sharp letter
to his administrator, taxing him with misgovernment, and drawing his
attention to the disorderly condition of the regality.
Lord Dacre was in an awkward situation between the archbishop who
demanded his rents, and the tenants who refused to pay. His enemies,
moreover, were busy undermining his reputation, no
doubt highly colouring the picture of the disorders in
the liberty, and asserting that thieves fled from North-
umberland into Hexhamshire, being sure of his protec-
tion." On April ist, 1524, Dacre wrote to the archbishop
complaining of the tone of his recent letter. He
declared that the evil reports of the state of the regality
were untrue, and that for some time past there had been
neither murders, burning, nor robbery in the district, not
even to the amount of I2d. Daere concludes by calling
to mind his own services, all the money he had expended out of his own
pocket for the defence of the Borders, and how he had in this way con-
tributed to everything except the support of thirty gunners and spies. This
he had done in spite of the fact that during the reigns of Henry VL,
Edward IV., and Henry VII. such charges had been borne by the royal
exchequer.^
Dacre, unluckilv for himself, chose most unfortunate times in which to
assure the archbishop of the complete quiet and orderliness in the regality.
Soon after his letter of 1515, a company of freebooters, Wille Elwald, called
' Sidears ; ' Wille Elwald, son of John Elwald of Thorlishop ; Rolle Elwald,
Hobe Elwald, Ector Nykson, son of Henry Nykson ; Wille Nykson, called
fingerless Wille, and others, went raiding in Allendale, burnt the Old Town,
and drove off" the cattle, carrying away a quantity of plunder.^ Upon the
very dav that Dacre was addressing his remonstrances to Wolsey in answer
to his reprimands, and assuring his lord of the peaceable state of the
ahms for war of
Thomas, Lord Dacre.
State Papers, Hen. VIII. ed. Rrewer, iii. 3518.
' Cat. State Papers, Hen. VIII. ed. Brewer, iv. 220.
- Hodgson, Northumberland, I. iii. p. 36.
' Ibid. ii. 1672.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 49
regality, one William Franklvn, a prebendary of York, well known on the
Borders, was writing from Durham to Wolsey a letter of very different import :
Pleas y' your most honorable grace to iindcrstandc uppon Tcwsday last the xxviij of Marchc, the
Hyland theeves withe banyshed men to the niimbie of fowre hundreth men, accompanydc with many
Scotts, came to Vngoo and Kirklictton in Northumberland, and ovcrrane the countrey too within cght
myles of Newcastle, wher they slewe seven mennc out of hande, and hurt dyvers moo in percll of dethe,
settinge fyere on the said townes, and drove awaye all the goods and ratall lying in there way. The
saide theeves be nowe in such comforte and audacitie by reason it is brutede here bye the Lord Dacre's
freends that he shall have the hooll governaunce of the contreye, that they be much more ryotowse than
ever theye were byfor. And be lykelehade within breve tyme, if theye be sufferde, shall soo incrcse that
harde it wyll be to represse theym without some difficultic. Hexhainshire, Wardale, with other countreys
of the bushopricke adjoyning to the hylelandes, be everye houre in dangeor utterlye to be destroyed.'
It is evident from the preceding letters thnt the presence of the unrulv Scots
on the other side of the Border was not among the least of the dangers with
which Dacre had to contend. The Scots were too often called into
Northumberland to aid in party feuds, and Dacre himself was accused by his
enemies of conniving at this kind of thing. The introduction of Scotchmen
into the countv in this way was an offence known as March or Border
treason; and in 1534 one Anthonv Armstrong was indicted upon this
offence, because he had brought Scotchmen into Hexhamshire."
Dacre had many enemies, who tried to do him everv harm in their
power. It was probably with an intention to oust him that those who in
1523 drew up a report on the reformation of the East and Middle Marches
proposed that the keeper of Tynedale should also be bailiff of Hexham.'
But Dacre remained innnovable, and appears to have enjoyed the complete
confidence of the archbishop, for the suspicions that called forth the letter
referred to above seem to have been speedily allaved. In 1526 Dacre once
more wrote to the archbishop that Hexham was pacified and perfectlv quiet,
but he complained that the gaol was full of prisoners and was a great charge.^
It was not until April, 1532, that his administration, which had been so
much criticised, came to an end. Ralph Fenwick succeeded to the office of
bailiff, which he was to hold at the pleasure of the archbishop. This
arrangement, however, did not satisfy him, and he wrote to Cromwell asking
if he might have a patent for life.^ This request was probably granted, for
when Reynold Carnaby was nominated to succeed him in October, 1534, it
was upon the distinct understanding that he should not enter upon office
until Fenwick was dead or had resigned."
' Raine, North Durham, p. xii. = Ca!. State Papers, Henry VIIL vii. 1588.
' Ibiii. iii. 3286. ' Ibid. iv. 2052. ^ Ibid. vi. 1484. " Reg. Leases, York, f 60 b.
Vol. IIL 7
50 HEXHAMSHIRE.
It cannot have been much later when Carnaby definitely entered upon
his troubled and eventful term of office. In the year 1536 the Reformation
Parliament had decreed the dissolution of the smaller monasteries. In the
following September the royal commissioners had appeared at Hexham, and
there encountered such resistance as altogether astonished and confounded
them. The determined action of the canons of Hexham at this memorable
crisis was all that was necessary to reawaken the spirit of discontent and
lawlessness on the Borders. Its immediate result was the famous rebellion
known as the Pilgrimage of Grace.
The active instigator of this revolt in Northumberland was John Heron
of Chipchase. At the first news of the resistance of the Hexham canons he
had ridden over to see William Carnaby of Halton, the father of Reynold, and
advised him to come to terms with the rebels, and arrange an armistice with
them. For this purpose he offered his good offices, which were gladly
accepted by Carnaby. Heron thereupon went awav and did all in his power
to confirm the canons in their resistance and to gain their aid for a
contemplated rising of the Tynedale men. Having successfully accomplished
this mission, he returned to Halton and sat down to dinner there with the
satisfied exclamation, 'It is a good sight to see a man eite when he is
hungry.' In the middle of the meal a man named Arche Robson of Tynedale
came and told his cousin, John Robson, that the Tynedale men were out.
Heron perceived this, and fancying that Carnaby had also overheard it, he
drew his host aside into an adjoining room and there quietly told him that his
mission had failed, that the men of Hexham were prepared to do their worst.
He advised Carnaby to defend himself as best he might, for he felt sure that
the men of Hexhamshire and Tynedale would attack him first.
Such news given in such a manner might well alarm Carnaby, to whom
the plausible John Heron appeared in an altogether fresh light. He did
not scruple to express his opinion of Heron on the spot, and said ' it was
very shorte warnyge, and not lyke a frend of him done to knowe suche a
purpose, and not to declare it to he had half dynid ; but yer was noe remedy
but take it as it was.' The story is best told in the words of the original
document :
Soo, the said Willm desyring hym of his counsaill, he said there was noo helpe but onely to goo to his
hous of Chipchase, and there to be his self; for, yf he remeynid in the hous, all the goodes in the world
wold not sayf his lyf. And that he was sure yf he taryed, he could not defend the hous, they were such a
power ; with many other suche lyke terrible wordes ; and all to th'entent to have t'hous left void, without
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 5 1
defence; by caus he wold have had Sir Raynald Carnabc's money and plail, which he knew was there.
. . . And SCO the said Wihm Carnaby toke his horse and rode with the said John Heron toward his
hoiis of Chipchase.
In the meane tyme, the Hexhamshire men, and Tyndall togyther, being asscmblyd at a place callyd
Sanct John Ley, reght unto Hexham, it fortuned a servaunte of .Syr Raynold Carnaby's to be ryding, and
chaunced amongist the Tyndall men ; who seing y' maner, and perceyveing y'' purpose, with fayre wordes
gotting hym forthe of theyre handcs, supposing to have bene at the hous of the said Willm Carnabe's, for
to defend the same afore theyr coming, he toke a more nere way thyther; and by a venture dyd see hym
and John Heron ryde togyther towardes Chipchase, as is afforsaid : and soo made a tokyn that he shuld
come towardes hym, he said unto hym secretly in his eare theis wordes, 'That traytor ihcyf that rydeth
with you hath betrayed you, and it woU cost you your lyf yet ; yf ye folowe counsaill, I shall warrant
you ;' and soo advised hjm to speyke to the said John Heron, and to deseyre hym with as fare wordes as
he couth, to tary bak, and to kepe of theyme behynde hym as he myght do, by cause he was of theyre
acquantance and alied amongist theyme, the said servant of Syr Raynalde's shulde guyde him to
Chipchase. And soo, by that meanys, John Heron taryed bak, supposing he had rydden to his hous of
Chipchase. And by caus he wold have bene sure he should not have scaped, he aftyrward sent his son
George Heron to attend upon the said Willm Carnaby, which in lyke case was conveyed. And as sone
as they were forth of theyre sight, he rode anoyer contrary way towardes Langley, and escaped. Which
yf he had not done by chans, he had bene sure then to have bene slayne by his enemys, and according to
the mynd of the said John Heron.
Yet he not attayning unto that to whiche was his cheyf desyre, as to say the money and plate, he
retorned from the sayd Willm Carnaby, as said is, and came to his hous of Halton ana demanndet of his
wyf yf hyr son Sir Raynald h.ad any money. And she, menyng trewly, and gyfifing good faithe to hym,
said 'Yea,' and delyvered to him the casket withe suche money as the sayd Sir Raynald hade. Whiche
when he hade it in his handes, one Arthur Errington, a kynnesman of the said Syr Raynaldes Carnabi's,
against his will, dyd take it from hym ; and he togyther w' vij Tyndall men which had promysed to take
his parte, rode away with it as fast as theyre hors wold bey re theyme. And John Heron, seing his
purpose was woid, that the casket was owt of his handes, made after with all the spede he myght ; and
put a kercher as a pensell uppon his spere point, and folowed aftir the casket ; and all to th'entent that
the rest of theyme which was brokyn in the forrey, and was seasing the goodes, shulde have takyn the
said casket from theyme that had it. Which when he could not overtake, he retorned, and soo that
nyght rode home.
Moreover, bycaus he wold ha\e had the hous without an)' defence of men, when as Thomas Carnaby,
one of the sonnes of the said Willm, was in his said hous at Halton, the said John Heron came unto the
said Thomas, and said his father commandit hym of his biyssing that he shuld not tary in the hous. And
soo by fare wordes intysed hym to departe from the hous lykewyse. And yet he couth not come to his
desyre, for alwayes some men remayned in the hous, and y"'' not leveing his mater ; soo, on the morowe,
beyng Tewsday, he came unto the house agayne. where the said Willm Carnaby being absent, and all his
chyldren, one Lewis Ogle, the lord Ogle's brother, being y' keaping the hous, he movid hym, in all that
he coulde, to leve the hous woid ; saing he wold not tary there tyll nyght, yf he knew and perceyved as
moche as he knewe, for ten thousand poundes ; with suche lyke ferefull wordes not a few : which whan he
could not bring abowte, he rode home, and never came thyther after.'
Although Heron had failed in this purpose of despoiling Halton while
retaining the mask of friendship, his machinations had proved successful in
so far that it became impossible for the Carnabys to remain openly in the
district. Disaifection had broken out on every side, and the whole country
was in an uproar. One of the principal movers in the sedition was the
' Hcxliain Priory, i. app. pp. cxl.-cxlv. ; Cal. State Papers, Henry VI IL xii. pt. i. logo.
52 HEXHAMSHIRE.
warden of the East and Middle Marches himself. This was Sir Thomas
Percy, a younger brother of Henry, earl of Northumberland. He is said to
haye made his castle of Prudhoe the resort of the most notable ofifenders in
Tynedale and Hexhamshire, among whom were John Heron, Edward
Charlton, Anthony Errington, and many like-minded spirits. He was
accused of using his power as warden to further the cause of the rebellion,
and in Hexham town on market days he used openly in the abbey to demand
of the people there ' what help or ayd he might haye of thame in the quarell
of the commons,' so that ' his wordes encoragid many ewill disposed persons
to be wors mynded agaynst the kinge's magesty than thay wold haye beyn,
but onely by his provocacon.''
Into the history of the Pilgrimage of Grace it is unnecessary to enter
here. The revolt broke down completely, and left the government
unshaken and its measures untouched. In Hexhamshire events naturally
followed the same course. The storm was followed by a complete calm.
In February, 1537, peace was restored, and the Carnabys had returned to
their home. On the 26th of the same month the duke of Norfolk dissolved
the priory of Hexham, while the people quietly looked on and meekly
listened to his loyal exhortations.
Sir Reynold Carnabv had become bailiff and general administrator of
Hexhamshire in the year 1536." After the dissolution he was entrusted
with the administration of the lands of the priory, which had become
the property of the Crown. ^ In November, 1538, the king granted him the
house and site of the abbey, with the conventual buildings, the hospital of St.
Giles, and over 30 acres of land in Hexham.' The buildings were subse-
quently fitted up as a private residence, and they continued for many years to
be the seat of the lords of the manor. Carnaby cannot be considered as
lord of the manor, for that title belonged to the archbishop of York, but he
occupied an analogous position. The practice of nominating one person to
fill all the chief offices of the shire, vpho farmed the rents and carried on the
administration, pointed in this direction. Lord Dacre was the first who
occupied such a position, and the precedent instituted in his case was closely
followed subsequently. For a few years after 1536 Carnaby was in a
' Hexham Priory, i. app. pp. cxxxi.-cxxxiv. ; Cat. State Papers, Hen. VIII. xii. pt. i. IoS6.
- Cat. State Papers, Hen. VIII. xi. 449. ' Aug. Off. Misc. Books, vol. 281, p. 13.
■■ Cal. Slate Papers, Hen. VIII, xiii. pt. ii. 967, 53.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY, 53
peculiar situation, acting at once as representative for tlie king of the lands
lately belonging to Hexham priory, and as representative of the archbishop
of York for his temporal possessions in Hexham regalitv. The arrangement
was a confusing one, but fortunately it lasted but a verv short time.
The peace in Hexhamshire was not enduring. In February, 1537, Sir
Thomas Tempest wrote to the duke of Norfolk : ' Good my lord, haste
hither. Northumberland is wholly out of rule, and speedy order must be
taken with Tynedale and Redesdale. The barony of Langley and Hexham-
shire follow their example.'^ In spite of the plague, that was raging at the
time,' disorders and riots followed in the winter of 1538. Among the
devices suggested to put an end to these constantly recurring outbreaks, it
was proposed that some loyal and courageous gentleman should have the
keeping of Tynedale, together with the rule of Hexhamshire, Corbridge, and
the barony of Langley, and that all the gentlemen dwelling on the banks of
the South Tyne should be commanded to take part with him against thieves
and Scotch invasions." The king, however, had his own way of settling the
difficulty, and in the year 1545, on the 6th of February, an exchange was
eifected with Archbishop Holgate, who had only recently been elected, by
which the whole of the regality passed into the hands of the Crown.'
Two years later a survey^ was taken of the whole district, which is of
peculiar interest on account of its having been made during what may be
termed a period of transition. The manor had just passed into the hands of
the king, who was anxious to know the exact value of his property. The
survey is therefore unusually complete. The tenants are ranged under the
following divisions : Errington, Wall, Acomb, Hallington, Keepwick, Green-
ridge, Keenley, East Allendale, Ninebanks and West Allendale, Newlands
and Rowley ward, Hexham borough, and Catton. Wall and Acomb alone
are styled townships, Hallington is called a manor, and no designation is
given to the rest. Under these headings the names of the tenants and the
amount of the customary rent they paid for each tenement are fully set
down. Twelve freehold tenements are mentioned, but the remainder are
copyhold. No curious holdings are given, though the term ' cooteland '
occurs once or twice, as well as ' le five days work.' Besides these rents the
' Cai. Slate Papers, Henry VIII. xii. pt. i. 345. '■ Ibiii. xiii. pt. ii. 372. ' Ibid. xii. pt. i. 595.
' Greenwich Hospital Papers. Overstaples, i.
' This survey will be found, printed in full, at the end of this section, p. 66.
54 HEXHAMSHIRE.
lord of the manor enjoyed various other dues, such as agistments of his
forests, fines exacted in his courts, tolls of his markets and fairs (which were
farmed out) and rents from a coal mine in Catton and a lead mine in East
Allendale. But the total amount of all these was inconsiderable. An
interesting feature in the survey is the mention of the various officers of the
manor, with the amount of the salary paid to each. Robert Bowes was
both steward and bailiff, appointed by royal letters patent, and receiving
^'6 13s. 4d. in the former and _£i3 6s. 8d. in the latter capacity. The
forester, John Gibson, and the sergeants, John Marshall and Thomas
Hvnnors, each received 13s. 4d. a year. Foresters are only mentioned in
the Newlands and Rowley ward, and their salary was one penny per day.
A few incidental references call to mind the unsettled state of the
district. This is the only place where there is mention of the burning of
Errington, Keepwick, and Greenridge by the Scots in the time of Arch-
bishop Bowett (1408-23), a destruction so complete that its ravages were not
made good over a hundred years later. A further reference, relating to the
very time when this survey was taken, states that some lands in Thockering-
ton, in the tenure of Cuthbert Shaftoe, were formerly rented at loos. a year,
but that at this time, owing to their proximity to Tynedale, and the danger
of attack from the Scots, they only paid 20s.
The names of about two hundred tenants are given in the survey,
exclusive of the burgage holders in Hexham town. The net value of the
rents paid by them amounts to ^"186 17s. i^d., which is less than the sum
extorted by Lord Dacre, but is almost exactly the same amount as was col-
lected in the year 1487. The value of the property was apparently decreasing,
for when Lavton and Legh took a survey of it in 1536, they estimated the
gross rental at £i()(i 19s. 4fd. But their estimate was only a rough one,
and thev may have overstated the case. This survey is here appended in
order that the sums given may be compared with those of the roll of 1547.
Survey of 1536.'
Exhibita ornatissimo viro domino Thome Cromwelo general! visitatori domini nostri regis Henrici
Octavi ac supremi capitis ecclesie Anglicane per Edwardum archiepiscopum Eboraci iuxta directum visita-
cionis mei prefati archiepiscopi facta per venerabiles viros dominum Richardum Layton et dominum
Thomam Legh predicti domini Thome CromweU ad huiusmodi negotium visitacionis per totam pro-
vinciam Eboracen' commissaries duodecimo die mensis Januarii anno domini millesimo quingentesimo
tricesimo quinto.
' Rentals and Surveys. Roll 766.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 55
Arrliiepiscopatus Ebor' : A'alorc? omnium et singulorum dominioriim maneriorum terrarum et tenemcntorum
ac aliarum possessioniim quorLimciimque tarn temporalium quam spiritualiiim domini Edwardi permis-
sione divina Ebor' arcliiepiscopi Anglic primatis et nictropolitani iuxta vcrum valorem annuum
eorundem communibus annis.
Regalia de Hexham in comitatu Nortbumbrie infra receptum Renaldi Carnabye militis receptoris par-
ticularis ibidem. Onus valet: In rcdditibus ct firmis infra predictam regaliam videlicet diversorum
Burgagiorum (xvij" xvij' x'') infra villam dc Hexham. Diversorum firmariorum (xviij'' x" iiij'' ob.) in
manerio prioris de Hexham. Diversorum liberorum tcnencium (xviij" xii' iiij' ob.) diversorum
molcndinorum (xl") firmis tolnetorum marcatorum cum aliis (vij'' iiij''), firma unius clausi siue
pomarii ibidem vocati le hall orcharde (xxx*) ; et in diversis aliis hamlettis videlicet Erington (viij" xij*")
Walle (xv" ij' j'' ob. qa.) Acome (xxiij" viij' xj'' qa.) Haliden (vij" iij' j*" ob.) Kepewike (vj" xiij') Grene-
ridge (xxxij") Keneleghe (vij" iiij' viij'') Estalewent (xxxiij" xvij* j'') Cadden (x" iiij' iiij'') Nynebynkes
cum Westallande (xv" iiij' V ob. qa.) et Newlandes in Rowley warde (.xxvij" iij" iiij'') ; in toto prout
particulariter patet antea. ccxxj" iiij' viij"" qa.
Casualibus ibidem communibus annis videlicet in perquisitionibus curie (Iij' xj'') cum finibus terrarum
(.x' vj'' ob.) concelamentorum averiorum et proficuis plumbi Cxxv') vocati leade owes. iiij" viij' ob.
[Summa totalis] ccxxv" xij' viij'' ob. qa.
AUocaciones Feodorum : In feodo dicti Renaldi Carnabye militis receptoris particularis ibidem
(vj" xiij' iiij''. Feodo ipsius Renaldi Carnaby capitalis senescalli tocius regalie predicte vj" xiij' iiij""
Feodo dicti Renaldi balliui regalie predicte xiij" vj' viij''. Et in feodo Thome Armstronge senescalli
curie regalie predicte xl', in toto xxviij'' xiij' iiij''. Et sic valet dare ciiij'"' xvj" xix' iiij'' ob. qa.
A few years later, in 1580, when the muster of the Middle Marches was
being taken, it was stated that there were some si.x score copyholders in
Hexhamshire, mostly in East and West Allendale, who were bound by their
tenure to find horse and armour, and who ' taverne there land and give it bv
will as though they were freeholders.' This arrangement did not prove
satisfactory for military purposes, because the tenants neglected to provide
themselves with a horse and armour, which most of them were no doubt too
poor to purchase. Some attempt was made to induce the government to
curtail these privileges by statute,^ but apparently nothing was done, and the
copyholders of He.xhamshire continued to exercise considerable liberty in
the disposal of their property.
At the time of the survey of 1547, Sir Reynold Carnaby was already
dead, and Sir Robert Bowes filled the various offices which his death had left
vacant. Carnaby had no son, but left three daughters who were under age,
and in the wardship of their mother, Sir Reynold's widow, and of their
uncle, Cuthbert Carnaby.
The privileges of Hexhamshire as a franchise had now nearly lived out
their term. They had been many times attacked, but continued to survive
all assaults, practically undiminished. But thev had lasted so long as to
become an anachronism. Tynedale had been thrown into the countv as
' Cal, Border Papers, i. 50.
5 6 HEXHAMSHIRE.
long ago as the reign of Henry VII. and yet Hexhamshire continued to
exist as a separate franchise, though after 1545 its position had become
anomalous. When the king of England had also become lord of the manor
of the district, the liberties of Hexhamshire ceased to have any meaning.
That the Crown, as lord of the regality, should have rights against itself as
sovereign of the country was quitie an untenable position. Such a situation
could only lead to a series of formalities and ceremonials, that would be
alike useless and cumbrous. It seems strange that such a state of affairs
should have been allowed to continue so long. In 1572, however, it was
definitely abolished by Act of Parliament.
[May, 1572.] ' Where before this tynie matter of doubt hath ben niovid aswell before the justices of
assises, oyer, and termyner and of the peax. as before dyvers other commissioners for the county of
Northumberland, whether the hberties of Hexam and Hexamshire late parcell of the possessions of
tharchbusshoprike of Yorke, and by exchange for other landes comme to the possession of the crowne,
ought to be taken and iudged as a libertie of countye pallatyne clerely exemptid from the jurisdiction of
sherifwike of Northumberland, or no : by reason wherof greate hindraunce hathe growne to tlie execution
of justice: for the remeadye wherof, be it enactid by the queenes most excellent maieste by the lordes
spirituall and temporall, and the commons in this present Parlemeht assemblid, and thauthorite of the
same, that the said liberties of Hexham and Hexhamshire shalbe from hencefurthe judged accomptid and
taken as a pryvate franchise or libertie within the lym'tes and jurisdictions of the cownty of Northumber-
land and that justices of assise, oyer, and termyner, and of the peax, authorisid for and within the lymites
of the county of Northumberland, shall haue full powre and authorite to heere and determyne in their
courtes and sessions, or otherwise according to the tenor and vertue of their commission for thexecution
of lawes: all and all manner treasons, murders, felonys, and other offences before theim deteniiynable,
being committed, perpetrated and done within the said liberties. And that the said justices and com-
missioners and euery of theim according to the vertue of their commissions, shall and maye appoint and
keepe the sessions and courtes for the heering and determyning of all maner thoffcnces abouesaid, aswel
within the said liberties, as in any other place or placees of the said county saving to the queenes highnes
her heires and successors, and to all other persons, all and all maner of forfaitures, escheates, amerce-
mentes, and other profictes what so euer growing or due by reason of any the offenses abouesaid, to be
perceyvid and answerid to her maiestie her heires and successors by her highness officers of the same
liberties for the tyme being, or to any other person or persons in lyke sorte to all intentes and pourposes,
as the same haue might or ought to haue ben answerid before the making of this Acte. Any thing heerin
conteynid to the contrary notwithstanding.
[Endorsed] : Hexam, to be parcell of the county of Northumberland.
The district of Hexhamshire was thus assimilated to the other Crown
propertv, and with verv few exceptions all its special privileges had
disappeared. It was administered for the Crown by the grantee of the
possessions of the late monastery. As has been already stated, Sir Reynold
Carnaby, the original grantee, died before 1547, and was succeeded by his
daughters, whose mother and uncle administered the estate for them. As
the daughters grew up, one of them, Katherine, married Cuthbert, Lord
' Stale Papers, Elizabeth, Domestic, addenda, vol. xxi No. 44.
HISTORY OF THR REGAT.ITY. 57
Ogle, and another, Mabel, married George Lawson. The third daughter,
Ursula, married Edward Widdrington, but her share seems to have lapsed
to the Crown, for in 1570 Queen Elizabeth granted it to Sir John Forster of
Bamburgh/ In a few years Sir John gradually acquired for himself the
whole of the inheritance of Sir Reynold Carnaby. On loth February, 1575,
George Lawson mortgaged his share to him for ;^324, and on the following
28th of March Lord Ogle did the like for ^,200. By 1578 these possessions
seem to have definitely become a portion of Sir John's estate. On 12th
April, 1579, he bought from Sir Christopher Hatton all the tithes and
spiritualities lately belonging to the priory of Hexham. This property had
not originally been conceded to Carnaby, but had been retained by the
Crown, and was granted by Queen Elizabeth to her favourite, the Vice
Chamberlain Hatton, who almost immediately sold it to Forster. The
ancient property of the priory, so far as it had come into Sir John Forster's
hands, seems to have been grouped under the manor of Anick Grange, one
of the earliest possessions of the priory, in order to distinguish it from the
royal manor of Hexham. This is a question that will be more fully
discussed when the history of Anick Grange is given ; but it mav be
interesting to note here that the motley group of places included in that
manor serves to strengthen this theory.
Sir John Forster devised the He.xham property to his daughter Grace,
who married William Fenwick. The offspring of this marriage, Sir John
Fenwick, succeeded his grandfather, Sir John Forster, upon the latter's death
in January, 1602, by virtue of a settlement made in January, 1597. The
Hexham property is thus enumerated in the inquisition taken upon Sir John
Forster's death : the monastery house of Hexham with Prior's flat, Coalfield,
and Corofield in Hexham ; Dotland house and park ; Anick grange and manor ;
Poytfield and Prior Thorns; three mills called Tyne mills; all tithes of corn
in Hexhamshire and Anick ; Westburnhope ; Swinburn lands near Hexham ;
St. Martin's chantry, Hexham ; Carnaby's lands ; Medhope ; Stagshaw ; Old
Town ; Allenton chantry ; tithes of Allendale, Gunnerton, and Slaley.^
The regality, however, still continued to remain in the hands of the Crown.
A survey of it was taken in i6o8,'' which it will be interesting to compare
' The original, under the great seal, is in the Bodleian Library, at Oxford. York Charters, No. 337.
' This information respecting the title to the priory lands has been taken from an abstract of title
formerly belonging to Sir Walter Trevelyan, and now in the possession of Canon Raine.
" This sui-vey may be found at the end of this section, p. 86.
Vol. III. 8
58 HEXHAMSHIRE.
with the similar document of 1547. In the interval some not inconsiderable
alterations have taken place. In the new survey the regality is said to be
divided into six grieveships (Allendale Town, Catton, Keenley, East Allen-
dale, West Allendale, Wall, and Acomb), together with Hexhamshire and
Hexham town. The number of freeholds has increased to seventeen, and
leasehold tenure appears for the first time. As in the former survey, the
tenants are ranged under the various grieveships, but in addition to the
customary rents, which remain unaltered, the yearly value of each tenement
above this ancient rent is also given. It is from this circumstance that the
survey derives a great part of its value. The names of the officials of the
manor, and the amount of their salarv, is again given, but in 1608 instead of
two sergeants there is only one, with a yearly salary of 26s. 8d., and the
gaoler receives a like amount. The forester receives only 13s. 4d., however,
instead of one penny a day as he had done before. Some additional officials
are also mentioned ; these are the receiver, the collector of Newlands and
Rowley ward, and the clerk of the manor, all appointed by letters patent,
and enjoying a fixed salary.
Some interesting memoranda conclude this important survey. The
curious office of the scalerakers, or scavengers, of Hexham market is fully
described, and there is an account of the two ancient towers of the town,
which are said to be in a ruinous condition. The transfer of the regality
from the archbishop of York to the Crown is also referred to, though the
event is incorrectly ascribed to the time of Cardinal Wolsey instead of
Robert Holgate. The copyhold tenants are said to claim the right of
inheritance, with fixed customs, as regards rents, fines, and Border service.
Their lands were not heriotable, but they acknowledged that at every
change of tenant they were bound to pay a fixed fine of one year's rent.
The total value of the land in the regality, beyond the customary rents,
amounted at this time to ^.'959 i6s. 6|d. The value to the lord seems to
have diminished, for though it is stated at ^191 14s. ijd., yet when the
salaries of the various officers have been deducted it amounts to no more
than ^'155 6s. ()ld.
Sir John Fenwick was acting as steward of the manor when the survey
was taken, though another person was bailiff. The office of steward seems
to have continued to remain in the hands of the owner of the priory. This
was not always the case with the kindred and more important office of bailiff.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 59
In the present instance that office was held by Roger Widdrington, but as he
was absent, apparently on account of some crime, the duties of the office
seem to have been performed by Sir John Fenwick.
It is evident from the foregoing survey that at this time the royal
connection with Hexhamshire was of the slightest. Although the regality
was nominally Crown property, the tenants refused to show the royal
officials the evidence of their tenures, and the bailiff, while asserting that he
held his office by letters patent, refused to justify his claim, and rendered no
account of fines and other monies taken by him in the shire. In 1632 the
connection with the Crown ceased entirely. On 20th November the manor
of Hexham, with all its appurtenances, was conveyed through Sir John
Heydon, Charles Harbord, William Scriven, and Philip Eden to Sir John
Fenwick, by letters patent. This grant comprised the whole of the regality,
with East and West Allendale, Hexhamshire, divers outrents from Allendale
Forest, the office of forester, lead ore to be obtained within the liberty,
Westwood, Milhaugh, Hall Flat, Hall Orchard, the market and tolls of
Hexham, Hexham ferry, coal mines in Cadden near Acomb, Procter lands,
Carnaby lands, coal and stone mines within the liberty, all lead mines and
lead ore there, with all courts, and rents and services of the manor, in short
all the civil rights formerly enjoyed by the archbishops of York, which had
been left intact by the Act of 1572.
The possessions of Hexham priory and the regality were thus joined
together once more under the same owner, after a lapse of more than five
and a half centuries. Of the condition of the shire itself very little remains
to be said. In spite of the privileges of the Hexham copyholders, and
notwithstanding the fact that they paid no heriots, and had almost complete
liberty in the disposal of their lands, they were miserably poor, and were
always in difficulties. During the early years of the seventeenth century
nearly half Hexhamshire was in debt to Sir Robert Bewick, a merchant of
Newcastle, who was a hard creditor, and claimed his due with relentless
severity and unerring regularity, in the Manor Courts. But this period,
though a hard one for the copyholders, was not fatal to them, as it proved in
so many parts of the country. While copyholds were fast dying out else-
where, those of Hexham enjoyed an exceptional vitality ; most of them
survived that trying period, the eighteenth century, and a few years ago they
were almost as numerous as in ancient times, though latterly the process of
5o HEXHAMSHIRE.
enfranchisement has gone on somewhat rapidly, and many of the holdings
are occupied by tenant farmers.
Although the interests of order and good government had been greatly
served by the transfer of the shire from the archbishops to the Crown, yet
the turbulent spirits of the district could not be altogether quelled, and the
passion of the natives for fighting occasionally manifested itself at this later
period, as it had done in former and less orderly days. In 1569 the army of
the rebel earls passed through Hexham, but their hurried passage appears to
have caused but little disturbance in the shire.' However the state of the
district was sufficiently disturbed in 1601 to call forth an Act for the
suppression of disorder on the Borders. In the preamble it is stated that
outrages were daily committed, blackmail imposed, and persons carried away
by violence and against their will. All these offences were made felonious
by the terms of the Act, and it was further ordered that the names of outlaws
should be proclaimed in the town of Hexham.^ This Act continued in force
for more than a century, and when in 171 2 there seemed to be some danger
that it might expire, the Grand Jury of Hexham were so alarmed for the
consequences that might ensue that they drew up a petition in the following
terms : ' We doe humbly conceive that it will be very much for the service
and benefitt of the inhabitants of this county that the Act of Parliament for
preventing theft & rapine in the northern borders be continued, for we
humblv conceive if the s'" Act be suffered to expire the smaller & middling
freeholders of this county will be ruined and forced to parte with their
estates for that they will not be able to preserve their owne and tenants'
goods from being stolen and taken away.'^
The House of Stuart had always found many devoted partisans in
Northumberland, but Hexhamshire was perhaps the division of the county
where that feeling was strongest. In the rebellion of 1715 many of the
inhabitants were seriously implicated. Some of the greatest landholders in
the shire took a prominent part in the rising, and after its failure their tenants
and subordinates were placed in a most unenviable position. The principal
and best known of these landholders was the earl of Derwentwater, but other
gentlemen were also involved.
As is too often the case in times of panic, the government acted with
' Cal. State Papers, Domestic, 1547-80, vol. Ix. No. 18. - See Wright's Hexham, p. 112.
^ Sessions Records, i6th July, 1712.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 6 1
great severity, and was too ready to listen to the interested evidence of
that odious class of informers that is always ready to spring up on such
occasions. The subjoined letter seems to bring to light a case of injustice
that probably was not an isolated instance at that time. Although the
defaulting Thomas Errington had been concerned in the rebellion there
seems to have been no accusation against his tenants, who nevertheless were
punished for his guilt.
Mr. Ord, I understand there are severall people of Anicke and Reed house (tenants to Mr. Errington
of Beaufront) that either are indicted or bound over by recognizances upon the complaint of one John
Hutchinson of Anicke. The ten'" have been vv"' me and desire you'l please to let me know by the bearer
in a line or two what your charge will come to, and if they cann be discharged at sessions. It's very
hard upon y" poor men that they must bear all the charge out of their owne pockets, and this charge is
created them by reason of Mr. Thomas Errington's absence, ffor if he had been but att home there had
been nothing of this. I hope you will answer this request, and therein you'l very much obliege him who
is (wishing you a good new year) Yo' humble serv', Tho. Shaftoe.'
The harshness of the government in 1 7 1 5 perhaps exercised a deterrent
influence in 1745. The rebellion of that year does not seem to have been
taken up very heartily in Hexhamshire. The government, however, was
suspicious, and caused a list of all the Roman Catholics in the district to be
drawn up.
Papis'is, reputed Papists, and Non-jurors.
In Hexham 45 names.
John Armstrong of AUenheads, gent., aged 80.
Richard Allgood of the same, gent., aged 45.
John Carre of the same, labourer, aged 50.
William Harby of Bateshill house, labourer,
aged 40.
Ralph Stobbs of Tedham, labourer, aged 40.
Edward Jenning, of Newbigin, farmer.
William Gray of Park Head, farmer.
Thomas Armstrong of the Pease, labourer.
John Forster of Upper Ashels, aged 40.
William Stobbs of Hathery Haugh, labourer.
Jonathan Blackljurn of Intack house, labourer.
Edward Forster of Mire Meadows, labourer.
Nicholas Stobbs of Hathery Haugh, labourer.
Matthew Sutton of Occrich.
Robert Atkinson of the same, joiner.
Return made at Hexham, 24th September, 1745. John Shield, high constable
John Armstrong of Woodhcad, joiner.
William Scott of Beaufront, farmer.
Mr. Selby of the same.
Thomas Errington of Sandoe, gent.
William Stokoe of the same.
John Ellison of the same.
Joseph Gibson of Stagshaw Close house.
Thomas Coates of the same, yeoman.
William Errington of Sandoe, gent.
George Anderson of Beaufront.
George Carr of Cocklaw, farmer.
John Loury of Keepwick mill.
John Sanderson of Wall, labourer.
George Sanderson of the same, labourer.
Henry Oxley of Houtley, farmer.
As the eighteenth century drew to a close the inhabitants of Hexham-
shire seem to have gradually lost their combative character, and at the
present time they cannot be reproached with being worse in this respect than
' Sessions Recorcls, Christmas, 17 16.
62 HEXHAMSHIRE.
their neighbours, or than the remainder of their countrymen. Instead,
therefore, of a long series of battles, rebellions, and riots, nothing remains to
be recorded but the peaceful devolution of the estate.
The Hexham estate remained in the hands of the Fenwick family until
the end of the year 1689. At that time Sir John Fenwick, the representative
of the family, sold the whole of the property to Sir William Blackett of
Wallington and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The terms of the conveyance were
that Sir William should pay down;^"2,ooo at once, another ;^2,ooo upon the
completion of the conveyance, and an annuity of ;^2,ooo to Sir John and
Lady Marv Fenwick. The estate of Walker was granted with Hexham for
a term of ninety-nine years, to save the latter from the burden of various
annuities charged upon it. These were : ;^ioo to Sir Thomas Loraine and
his son William for seventeen years ; ^80 to Katherine Fenwick for life ;
^^130 to Ellingsby Preshell for life ; £'40 to John Carnaby, Catherine his
wife, and William and Obadiah their sons for their lives ; and ;^ioo to
Ralph Anderson for eight years. ^
Upon Sir William Blackett's death in 1705, his son, another Sir William
Blackett, succeeded to the estate. The second Sir William died in 1728,
leaving no legitimate issue, and devised his Hexham property to his natural
daughter Elizabeth Ord, upon the condition of her marrving his nephew
Walter Calverley, the son of Sir Walter Calverley, bart., of Calverley, York-
shire. This she did, and her husband assumed the name of Calverley-
Blackett. Their onlv daughter Elizabeth did not survive them, and the
property then passed into the family of their aunt Diana, who had married
Sir William Wentworth, bart., of Bretton hall, Yorkshire. Their son, Sir
Thomas Wentworth, bart., succeeded to the Blackett estates upon the death
of his cousin in 1777, and, like him, added the name of Blackett to his own.
He died in 1792, and left his Northumberland and Yorkshire estates to his
natural daughter, Diana, who had married Colonel Thomas Richard Beau-
mont. Colonel Beaumont died in 1829, and his wife Diana was lady of the
manor of Hexham until her death in 1832. The estate then passed to her
son, Thomas Wentworth Beaumont, who died in 1848, leaving the property
to his son, Mr. Wentworth Blackett Beaumont. In the summer of 1894
Mr. Beaumont transferred the Hexham estate to his eldest son, Mr. Went-
worth Canning Blackett Beaumont, who is therefore the present lord of the
' .Abstract of title of the late Sir Walter Trevelyan.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY. 63
manor. The following rough pedigree will show more clearly than the
above account the tangled history of the descent of the Hexham jiroperty
since it was sold by Sir John Fenwick in 1689 :
Sir William Blackett, bait., of Wallington, d. 1705 = Julia, daughter of Sir Christopher Conyers of llordc-n,
\ CO. Durham.
I i I
Sir William Blackett, Sir Walter Calverley, bart., = Julia. Sir William Wentworth, := Diana.
bart., d. 1728. of Calverley, d. 1749. bart., of Bretton hall.
Elizabeth Ord or Blackett = Sir Walter Calverley Blackett, Sir Thomas Wentworth
bart., d. 1777. Blackett, bart., d. 1792.
\
i
Colonel T. R. Beaumont, d. 1829 = Diana, d. 1832.
I
Thomas Wentworth Beaumont, d. 1848.
Wentworth Blackett Beaumont.
Wentworth Canning Blackett Beaumont.
Little remains to be added to the history of Hexhamshire. The Act of
1572, which united the regality to the county, left standing a few privileges
and customs. The Courts Baron and views of frankpledge continued to be
held, and in these, admittances and surrenders could still be performed.
Causes involving a sum of not more than forty shillings might also be
decided before the bailiff if they were within the manor. Such customs,
however, rapidly fall into desuetude, and this seems to have been the case at
Hexham. Some attempt was made to revive them at the beginning of the
eighteenth century, as the following order will show :
Ordinatum est that whereas the said manor of He.xham is an antient manor, and enjoys severall
liberties & priviledges incident thereto, and complaints have been made that the antient liberties thereof
have been abused by the sergeant and his deputies to the prejudice of the inhabitants living within the
said manor contrary to the intention of the same, by disobeying the protests of the steward and clerk of
the courts holden for the said manor, therefore that all persons having business in an[y of] the said courts
holden or to be held for the regality or manor aforesaid may have justice done, the sergeant ....
shall every three weeks make a due return of all processes to them directed, as well entrys as executions
from [the Court] Baron, so that the same may be lodged in the office kept for the manor that persons con-
cerned may have satisfaction .... have satisfaction given them that have business in any of the
said courts, and as to the Court of Record that all processes issuing thereout shall be duly returned by
the sergeant every month, according to the antient practise of the said court, and adjournments will be
kept in the office regularly for that purpose.
The sergeant and his deputies (if he or they have any regard for the lord of the said manor, bailiff,
and steward) to execute all processes directed to him and them with the utmost expedition that the party
and parties concerned may receive satisfaction without any equivocation, that the sergeant and his
deputies shall upon receiving any money tlue to any person upon execution pay the same immediately
upon receipt thereof, and give notice to the clerk of the court where the process was issued out that
satisfaction may be recorded.
64 HEXHAMSHIRE.
And that all processess directed to the sergeant and his deputies not before mentioned shall be duly
and honestly returned to the proper offices of the said court or courts or the bayliff of the same manor,
and to make immediately a return immediately after the defendant or defendants are taken upon any
leads on entry or entries and this order to be read before the rising of every side court that persons
wronged may have them, upon coni))laint to the bailiff and steward of the said court [4th May, 1726]. '
According to the ancient regulations surrenders miglit be made out of
court in the presence of the bailiff and two tenants of the manor. This
privilege had proved very convenient to the tenants, who availed themselves
of it frequently. In 1841, however, the facilities for surrenders and admit-
tances out of court were still further increased by an Act providing that
they might be performed before the steward or bailiff of the manor without
the presence of a tenant.^ This Act dealt a severe blow at the Manor
Courts, which thereby became superfluous, since, by the new regulations, the
business usually transacted in them could be done much more easily out
of them. Courts, however, were still held at Hexham until the year 1867,
when an Act was passed depriving them of their power of determining actions
of a personal nature when the debt or damage was under forty shillings.'
Since that year no courts have been held at Hexham.
In the year 1837 the ancient connection of the regality with York was
terminated by an Act severing the peculiar jurisdiction of Hexhamshire from
the diocese of York, and including it in the diocese of Durham.^ Hexham
rural deanery was formed in September, 1842, as a part of the archdeaconry
of Northumberland.'^ Finally, upon the formation of the bishopric of
Northumberland in 1881, the rural deanery of Hexham, and the whole of
the shire were incorporated in the new diocese of Newcastle.
List of Hexham Bailiffs."
1233, Nov. 23rd. Richard de Ulreme.
1235, Nov. 19th. Richard, son of Alexander.
circa 1226-42. Robert de VViton.
circa 1251-5. William de Doncaster.
circa 125 1-5. John de Elmham.
1252. Richard.
1268, Sept. 2ist. R[ichard] (?)
1272. Roger de Saxton.
1274. William de Toluse.
12S7. Robert de Skypton.
John de Lithegraynes, steward.
1293, Jan. loth. Robert de Skypton, referred to
as recently dead.
1294, May I2th. John de Cimiterio.
T295. (?) Roger de W[ha]lton.
1299, Aug.-Nov. John de Vaus, king's bailiff sedc
vacante.
1300, Aug. Henry de Menill.
1303, Aug. 17th. William de Kelesholt appointed.
1307, Jan. l6th. Henry de Menill.
1308, Oct. 17th. Robert le Porter.
' Hexham Manor Rolls. - 4 and 5 Vic. c. 35, sees. 86, 88, 90. ' 30 and 31 \'ic. c. 142, sec. 28.
< London Gazette, 24th January, 1837. ^ Ibid. 2nd September, 1842.
° Compiled chiefly from the York Registers and Manor Rolls, which have been supplemented with
names from the Surtees volumes, State papers, surveys, and various unpublished documents.
HISTORY OF THE REGALITY.
65
1309, Jan. 3rci; 1310, Feb. iqtli; and 1311, June
22ncl, Roger le Thornton.
1312, Sept. 23rd, Sir John de Vans appointed.
1313, Dec. 27th, Ralph de Dalton „
1314, Nov. 25th, Nicholas de Whitfeld „
1314, Dec. 30th, Sir John de Haulton „
revoked 5 th Feb., 13 1 5.
131 5, April 5th, Sir John de Vans appointed.
131 7, Dec. 26th, Richard Dusyng „
13 1 8, Feb. 13th, Warin de Swethope „
1318, Nov. 20th, Sir John de Vans „
1 32 1, June loth. Richard de Langton „
vice Sir J. de Vaus, resigned ; John Travcrs,
steward.
1322, Mar. 18th. John de Wauton appointed.
1322, Nov. 8th. Thomas de Fetherstonhaigh
appointed.
1327, Mar. 13th. Thomas de Lelom appointed.
He was several times a justice of assize. On
2ist Jan., 1327, Archbishop Melton desired the
prior and convent of Hexham to reward Lelom
with a pension, and in conformity with this
request the bailiff received 5 marks annually,
charged upon the lands of the priory at Little
Broughton in Yorkshire.' In 1350 he gave
certain lands and houses to the priory.
1328, Aug. 6th. John de Wauton appointed.
1332, Jan. 14th, Robert de Bridelington, steward.
1331, Dec. 15th. William de Wyrkesworth ap-
pointed, rector of Slaitburn, co. York.
1332, Oct. 13th. Richard de Tang appointed.
1333, Oct. 4th. Richard de Acom „
1334, Sept. 1 2th. Thomas de Lelom „
1338, July 7th. Robert de Ogle „
1343, Jan. I2th. William de Haukesgarth appointed
steward.
1343, June 20th. Richard de Donyngton ap-
pointed steward.
1344, Nov. 14th. Roger la Zouche appointed
steward.
1346, July'5th. Robert de Ogle appointed steward.
1349, May loth. Sir William de Graystok ap-
pointed steward.
1350, Dec. 26th. Robert de Ogle appointed
steward.
I3J5, Feb. i6th. Richard Ask appointed.
1355, July 17th. Walter de Bridelington appointed
steward, rector of Skirpenbeck.
1356, Oct. 28th. Richard de Ask appointed; made
bailiff for life 27th Dec, 1364.
'3'J9)Oct. Klyade . . .; Henry de Baron, steward.
'377> Aug. 12th. Thomas de Blenkinsopajipointed.
1399, Dec. 1st. William de Mitteford, steward,
appointed.
i4o|. John Bowet de Hoperlon.
1409, May loth. William Mitford appointed.
1423, April 15th. William Carnaby „
1451, Aug. nth. William Errington ; Nicholas
Ridley, steward.
1458, Sept. I2th. Sir John Nevil.
1461, May 6th. Sir Humphrey Nevil.
1461, Dec. 3rd. George Lumley.
1487, Mar. 6th. Nicholas Belyngham appointed;
William Percy, steward.
1528, Jan. Edward Horsley.
Before 1533. Lord Dacre.
1533) April loth. Ralph Fenwick appointed.
1534, Oct. 8th. Sir Reynold Carnaljy „
1538. Lewis Ogle, deputy bailiff.
1538, Dec. 20th. Walter Lee.
1547. Sir Robert Bowes.
circa 1550. William Conyers.
1574. William Heron, bailiff and chief steward.
1 590. Edward Crashaw, steward.
1598. John Whitfield „
1599. Roger Widdrington, bailiff and steward.
1607. John Fenwick, steward.
1 612, July 1st. Richard Carr.
1626. Richard Thirlwall.
1630. Richard Carr.
1646. Launcelot Allgood.
1653. Stephen Anderton.
1662. Patrick Crow.
1670. Thomas Allgood.
1687. Benoni Carr.
16S9. William Carr.
1690. Thomas Allgood.
1 7 13. John Carr.
1716. Joseph Tait.
1725. Launcelot Allgood.
1736. Thomas Allgood.
1741. John Carr.
1751. John Ord.
1765. Ralph Heron.
1803. John Bell.
1809. John Bell, junior.
1839, July 25th. Thomas Johnson.
1842, Nov. 2 1 St. Jasper Gibson.
1S73, Jan. 17th. R. R. Dees; resigned 1891.
i8gi, Dec. 31st. T. W. Thompson.
' Hexham Priory, i. pp. Ixxiv.-v.
Vol. Ill
66 HEXHAMSHIRE.
During the greater part of the eighteenth century and latterly, the
business of the manor has devolved chiefly upon the steward. Richard Ellis
and Thomas Hopper Williamson long officiated in this capacity. The
present steward is Mr. Richard Gibson of Hexham.
Survey of Hexham Manor in 1547.'
[Manerium] de Hexham ad manus domini [scilic]et in manum suae serenissime majestatis jam
existent, virtute cujusdem excambii factum cum reverendissimo in Christo patri et domino Roberto*
misericordia divma Eboraci archiepiscopo, Anglie primat., etc.
[ErJington: Compotus Davidis Carnabie prepositi ibidem a festo sancti Michaelis Archangeli anno
regni nuper regis Henrici \'Iir' 38''° usque festum sancti Michaelis Archangeli anno regni regis nunc
Edwardi VI" dei gratia Anglie Francie et Hibernie regis f. d., et in terris ecclesie Anglicane et
Hibernie supremi capitis, primo. Scilicet per unum annum integrum ut inferius sequitur.
Arreragia: Nulla prout in pede ultimi compoti anni proximi precedentis plenius patet. Summa nulla.
Redditus Assise : Scd reddet compotum de xiij' iiij'' ob. de et pro quodam redditu exeunte de certis terris
et tenementis quondam Johannis Clogh ibidem necnon Ix acr. terre arrabilis jacentium in dringagio
solvendis ad festum sancti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equis portionibus. Summa, xiij" iiij'' ob.
Redditus custumariorum tenentium ibidem : Et de vij" vj' viij'' de Gilberto Errington pro redditu suo
exeunte de certis terris et tenementis jacentibus in dicta villa de Errington que tenet per copiam curie
secundum consuetudinem manerii solvendis ad festa sancti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter.
Que quidem villa de Errington olim dimissa erat in xiij tenementis cum pertinentiis quodlibet tene-
nientum xix' ij'' existentes in toto per annum xij'' ix' ij"*, et combusta erant per Scotos tempore Henrici
Bowett^ quondam Eboraci archiepiscopi pro tempore existente et deinde dimissa pro vij'" vj' viij'' per
annum eo quod non ulterius dimitti potuerunt. Summa, vij'' vj* viij''.
Redditus cotagiorum : Respondet de Ivj' x'' ob de ffirma decern cotagiorum nuper jacentium infra dictam
villam de Errington nuper in tenura dictorum tenentium quilibet eorum reddens per annum ij* x""
(sic) que in toto ut supra hie non respondet, eo quod dicta cotagia combusta erant per Scotos tempore
dicti Henrici Bowett nuper archiepiscopi Eboraci et nullum proficuum inde provenit per multos annos
elapsos prout patet in rotulis archiepiscopi Eboraci annorum precedentium. Summa nulla.
Firma terrarum dominicalium : Nee respondet de xij' iij'' ob. qua de firma terrarum dominicalium ibidem
[exeunte] de ffirma cujusdem molendini acquatici ibidem per annum nee . . . firma cujusdem
parcelli terre vocate Horncylde, eo quod dicta parcella jacent vasta ac dictum molendinum combustum
fuit per Scotos tempore Henrici Bowett quondam archiepiscopi Eboraci et nullum proficuum pro-
venientem per multos annos elapsos prout patet in rotulis archiepiscopi Eboraci annorum precedentium.
Summa nulla.
. . . od operum : Sed respondet de .xj'' ob. de operibus . . . Johannis Cloughe solvendis ad
ffer[mam] . . . operibus consuetis exeuntibus de xiij tenementorum (sic) infra dictam [villam]
xix'' ultra redditum sive ffirmam dicta xiij . . . non respondet hie eo quod dicta tenementa com-
busta [erant tempore] Henrici Bowett quondam Eboraci archiepiscopi. Nee respondet de iiij' ij'' de
. . . cotagiorum infra dictam villam, viz. de quolibet . . . quia cotagia combusta erant per
Scotos ut supra. Summa, xj'' ob.
' Hexham Manor Rolls. A word about the latinity of this document may not be out of place here.
Although the manuscript is written in the finest handwriting of the time, with ornamental capitals and
all the adornments of the penman's art, the scribe must ha\e been a very indifferent scholar. In most
cases he leaves out the final inflexion of the words, and it is often doubtful of what gender, number, or
case they ought to be. Prepositions are omitted throughout, especially the per before rentale ; and the
scribe is not consistent in the gender he assigns to such words as parcellum, ferma, hospitalis, etc. It has
been thought advisable to print the document as it was written, writing out in full only the ordinary
pateographical abbreviations and such inflexions as seem to admit of no doubt.
' Robert Holgate, archbishop from January loth, 1545 to 1553.
" Bewett in MS. He was archbishop from August 27, 1408, to October 20, 1423.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
67
Pannagium porcorum : Ncc respondet de aliquo proficiio proveniente de pannagio porcorum co quod
nullum proficuum inde accidit per tenipus hujus rompoti ex . . . super Innic compolum coram
aujitore. Summa nulla.
Exitus Terrarum : Nee respondet de aliquo proficuo proveniente de cxitibus lerrarum ct Icnementorum
infra dictam villam a ratione etatis alicujus tenentis vel ffelon. ibidem infra tempus compoti accidcn.
hie non respondet eo quod nullum proficuum inde provenien. per tempus hujus compoti. Summa nulla.
Summa totalis oneris viij'' xij''. Inde in regardis datis clerico auditoris pro scriptura istius
compoti prout consimilis allocacio facta est auditori domini regis ducatus sue Lancastrie ij". Et debet
vij'' xix'' que oneratur super Robertum Bowes militem minime adhuc solut. prout in conipoto
receptoris plenius patet.
Walle villata : Compotus Roberti Wilson prepositi ibidem per tempus predictum.
Arreragia : Nulla prout in pede ultimi compoti anni proximi precedentis patet. Summa nulla.
Redditus custumariorum tenentium ibidem : Sed respondet xxj* de reddituunius tenementi cum pertinentiis
jacentis in villa de Walle predicta in tenura Edvvardi Errington per copiam curie secundum con-
suetudinem manerii ibidem solvendo ad festa Sancti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter ut
patet per rentale inde factum per examinationem totius homagii ibidem super hunc compotum coram
auditore.
Remaining Copyholders.
Holder. Dates of Payment.
Rent.
5s. 4d.
5S. 4d.
los. 6d.
I OS. 6d.
I OS. 6d.
21S.
I OS. 6d.
26s. 3d.
5s. 3<i-
1 6s. 9d.
5s. 3d-
[5s. gd.
5s. 3d.
5s. 3d.
26s. 3d.
I OS. 6d.
2 IS.
los. 6d.
3S. 8d.
3s-
3s. 6d.
3s. 6d.
los. 6d.'
1 8s. 4d.
2s. 8d.
Nature of Land.
one tenement with
pasture in Wall...
St. Martin's and Whitsuntide equally.
... J of a husbandland.
Firma Terrarum Scaccarii ibidem
Geo. Kell
Matt. Kell
Edward '■=
Gerald Yeldret
Robert Storye
Alex. Dawson
Rowland Kell
Rowland Kell
Edward son of Percival Kell
James Kell
Edward Watson ...
Rowland Dawson
Robert Storye
Geo. Kell
* Kirsopp
Robert Kell
Cuthbert Armstrong ... „
Geo. Kell ... ... „
Wm. Dawson ... ... „
Gerard Yeldret ... ... „
Matt. Dawson ... ... „
Wm. Kell
Rowland Kell ... ... „
Summa, xiiij'' vij' vj''.
Et de xj' j'' de redditu unius tenement! cum pertinentiis in tenura
Edmundi Errington pertin. officio Scaccarii ibidem solvendis ad festa predicta.
' This sum was charged upon the account of the preceding year at los. 8d. per annum more than it
ought to be, as appears by an examination of the rental made upon oath of the assessor upon this account
in the presence of the auditor. * Torn.
68
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Rrnt.
Date of Payment.
I3<1- •
St. Martin's and Whitsuntide
i;d. .
1)
6d. .
,,
i8id. .
»T
Remaining Treasury Lands.
Nature of Land. TL-naiit.
Certain lands ... Robert Storye
„ ... lately Rowland Kcll, now Ed w. Spake..
„ ... Wm. Kell
„ ... Gerard Yeldret
Firma molendini : Et Reddet xv" firma unius molcndini aquatic! infra dictam villam in tcniira Wm. Kell,
etc., solvendis ad festa predicta. Summa, x".
Perqusitio curie : Aliquo proficuo proveniente de placitis alicujus curie ibidem .... per rotulos
earundem super hunc compotum examinat poterit. Non respondet eo quod nullum
proficuum accid. per tempus predictum. Summa nulla.
Summa totalis oneris xv'' xij' xj'' de quibus in regardo dato clerico auditoris pro scriptura istius
compoti prout consimilis allocatio factum est auditori domini regis ducat, sue Lancastriae ij". Et
debet xv" x* xj'' ob qua que oncratur super Robertum Bowes militcm ut pro tot denariis per ipsum
receptis et manibus suis reman, minime adhuc solut.
ACOM VILLATA : Compotus Job. Cheken prepositi ibidem per tempus predictum.
Arreragia : Nulla prout in pede ultimi compoti anni proximi precedentis plenius patet. Summa nulla.
Redditus custumalium tenentium ibidem : Sed respondet de xij' vj'' de redditibus terre husbandr. et quarti
partis terre husbandr. cum pertincntiis in tenura Edw. Kell per copiam curie secundum consuetudinem
Manerii ibidem solvendo ad festa Sancti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes, ut patet per rentale inde
factum super hoc compotum ostens. et examinat.
Rent.
32s. 6d.
15s.
15s.
17s. 6d.
15s.
5S.
2s. 6d.
I OS.
IDS.
lOS.
27s. 6d.
15s.
[26s 6d.]
17s. 6d.
2S. 6d.
5s.
15s.
2S. 6d.
15s.
15s.
6s. 3d.
IDS.
17s. 6d.
1 6s. 3d.
13s.
15s.
Remaining
Nature of Land.
3j- husband lands with appurtenances
I A husband lands with appurtenances
one husband land with appurtenances
one cottage
one husband land with appurtenances
one le ' cooteland '
one husband land
certain lands with their appurtenances
i^ husband lands and one coteland
lA husband lands
I4 husband lands and one fforlond
1 4- husband lands with appurtenances
Copyholders.
Tenant.
... Wm. Armstrong
... Wm. Cheken ...
... Wm. Lee
... Wm. Spain
... John Cheken
... The wife of Percival Harri-
son during her life
... Roger Robson ...
... Robert Spain ...
... John Ball
Richard Lee
... Richard Armstrong
... [Christjopher Smythe
... [Elen Hudson ?]
... Richard Cheken
... John Armestronge
... Richard Amiestronge
... Robert Spain ...
... Robert Spain ...
... John Lee
... Matt. Lee
. John .Armestronge
. Wm. Smythe ...
. Robert Cheken .. .
. John Spain
. Richard Helmesley
. Geo. Hollingley
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR. 69
Rent. Nature of Land. Tenant. Date of Payment.
3s. 4d. ... a certain dose or meadow called Golde close Jolin Marcliall ... ... St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
20s. ... 2 husbandlands with appurtenances ... Alexander Armstronge ... ,,
•Summa, .\ix'' vi» iiii"'.
Redditus scaccarii ibidem: Et de x" \j'' de rcdditu ccrtarum tcrrarum at tcncmcntorum cum pcrtincnliis in
tenura Wm. Armestronge pertinentibus officio scaccarii solvendo ad festa prcdicta.
Rent. Nature of Land. Tenant. Date of Payment.
9s. 4d. ... certain lands with appurtenances ... John Armestronge ... .St. Martin's and Whitsuntide.
5s. id. ... „ ,, ... Richard Lee ... ... ■,
I5|d. „ ,, ... Elen Hudson... ... .,
2id. ... „ „ ... Richard Armestronge ... „
Summa, xxvij" xi'' ob.
Firma terre dominicalis nuper prioris de Hexham: Et dc xxx' de firma xxx acr. terre parcell. tcrre
dominicalis vocatae Widchagh in tenura dotnine Carnaby vidue ; quondam in tenura prioris de
Hexham secundum consuetudinem, etc. Sumnia, xxx'.
Firma herbagii cujusdem Bosci vocati Ackewoode : Et de xiiij' viij'' de firma herbagii ij parcellorum bosci
vocati Ackewood in tenura Joh. Marchall, etc. Et de xx' de firma herbagii alterius parcelli predicti
bosci vocati Ackwoode modo in tenura domine Camaby vidue quondain in tenura nuper prioris de
Hexham, etc. Et de xP de firma herbagii residui ejusdum bosci vocati Akewood in tenura inter
tenentes dicte ville de Acoin, etc. Summa, Ixxiiij^ viij''.
Firma molcndini: Et de iij' iiij'' de firma molendini ibidem in tenura Willelmi Annestrong, etc. Summa,
iij" iiij''.
.Summa totalis oneris xxvj" ij' iij'' ob. de quibus in regardo dato clerico auditoris pro scriptura istius
compoti prout consimilis allocatio facta est auditori domini regis ducatus sue Lancastrie ij'. Et debet
xxvj'' iij'' ob. que oneratur super Robertum Bowes militem receptorem domini regis ibidem ut pro tot
denariis per ipsum receptis minime adhuc solutis.
[HJALIDEN : Compotus Joh. Witherington ffirmarii ibidem.
Arreragia: Nulla prout in pede ultimi compoti anni proximi . . . Summa nulla.
Sed respondet de iij' j'' ob. de . . . officio scaccarii ibidem in onere Cuthberti . . .
Gerard. Ilderton. Solvendo ad tenninos . . . Pentecostes equaliter ut patet rentale inde factum
super hunc [compotum] et examinat. Sumtna, iij' j'' ob.
[ffijrma Manerii de Hallidene predicti: Et de vij" xiij' iiij'' de fimia manerii ibidem sicut dimiss. Ricardo
Bellacis armigero per reverendum priorem et . . .* Edwardo' archiepiscopo Eboraci, cum omnibus
pratis, lesuris, terris arrabilibus, pasturis, aquis, molendinis cum omnibus pertinentiis quibuscumque
dicti manerii et ville quoquo modo spectantibus et pertinentibus. Exceptis semper et omnino reservatis
dicto archiepiscopo Eboraci et successoribus suis omnibus et omnimodis quietis, redditibus dicti manerii
sive ville spectantibus sive pertinentibus, ac omnibus et omnimodis boscis et subboscis crescentibus ct
existentibus in et super premissis, proviso semper quod licebit prefato Ricardo Bellacis et assignatis
suis capere sufficientem maeremium ad reparandum domuni scituatam et existentem infra dictum
manerium seu villam, ac etiam subboscum et les sherdings arborum" ad reparandum sepes dicto
manerio pertinentes necessariam ; habendum et tenendum predictum manerium seu villam cum
omnibus premissis exceptis preexceptis prefatis Ricardo Bellacis et assignatis suis a fcsto sancti
Michaelis archangeli ultime preterito antea at presentem usque ad finem termini et per terminum Ix
annorum extunc proximo sequentium et plenarie complendum ; reddendo inde annuatim durante
termino predicti archiepiscopi et successorum suorum vel suorum officium vel assignatorum, vij" xiij* iiij''
legalis monete Anglie ad duos anni terminos, viz., ad festa Pentecostes et Sancti Martini equis porti-
onibus, cum claus. distr. et reintrae. pro non solut. ejusdem at omnes alias necessarias reparaciones ad
onus ffirmarii. Et ulterius dictus Ricardus Bellacis concedit per presentes quod ipse et assignati sui
' Edward Lee, archbishop from 30th Oct., 1531, to 13th Sept., 1544. '■' Torn.
" Branches, etc., lopped off the trunk, i.e., shreddings.
JO HEXHAMSHIRE.
cmpt. suis propriis coUigent redditus et ffirmaria dicti manerii sive ville ac annuatim inde reddent
compotum rationabilem et dictus archiepiscopus concedit per prcsentem quod dictus Ricardus et
assignati sui capient et habebunt annuatim quoddam ffeodum xiij« iiij'' durante tcrmino prcdicto prout
in dicta indentura datum xiij die Decembris anno .\xx° regis Henrici plenius patet et hoc anno illius
dimiss. viij". Summa, vij'' xiij' iiij''.
Firma molendini : xiij" iiij'' de firma molendini aquatici ibidem quondam in Icnura Johannis Heron
armigeri hie non respondet co quod conceditur Ricardo Bellacis cum manerio per indenturam
parcellum firme sue prout in dicta indentura superius spccificata plenius patet. Summa nulla.
Summa totalis oneris, vij" xvj" v'' . . .
. . . Compot. regard.: Idem computat in ffeodo dicti ffirmarii ad xiij" iiij'' per annum sibi concesso
pro collectione reddituum et ffirmarum pertinentium dicto manerio virtute dicte indenture superius
recitate plenius patet, viz., in allocacione feodi per tempus hujus compoti xiij" iiij'', et in regardo dato
clerico auditoris, pro scriptura istius compoti prout consimilis allocatio factum est auditori domini
regis ducatis sue Lancastrie ij". Summa, xv» iiij''.
Oneracio denariorum in compoto receptoris hujus anni: Et in denariis in compoto receptoris oneratis
super Robertum Bowes militem reccptorem domini regis ibidem pro tot denariis receptis de dicto
computante ex recognitione dicti Roberti coram auditore sive ballivo in manu sua detent, minime adhuc
solut. vij" xiij'' ob. Summa, vij'' xiij'' ob.
Summa allocationum at liberacionum vij'' xvj'' v'' ob. Que summa correspondet summe oneris
supradicti.
Kepewike : Compotus Davidi Carnabye ffirmarii ibidem per tempus predictum.
Arreragia: Nulla prout in pede, etc. Summa nulla.
Redditus custumariorum tenentium : Sed respondet de vj" vj' viij'' de Gilberto Errington pro redditu exeunte
de certis terris et tenementis jacentibus in dicta villa de Kepewicke que tenet per copiam curie, etc.,
tamen solebit reddere ante dicta villa combusta erat per Scotos annuatim .xj" xvj'' et modo dimissus
pro vj" vj* viij'' eo quod non ultra dimittere potuerunt prout in compotis annorum precedentium super
hunc compotum ostens. et examinat. Summa, vj" vj' viij*.
Firma molendini : Et de v' de firma molendini aquatici ibidem scituati super cursum aque de Eyren' in
campo de Kepewike una cum ij acr. pasture ibidem sic dimissa Gilberto Errington per annum
solvendo ad terminos predictos equaliter ut patet Rentale predicto super hunc compotum ostens.
Et de xvj'' de firma unius parcelli terre continentis per estimationem unam acram jacentem in campo
de Kepewike in tribus pecis inter aquam de Eyren et cursum aque ad molendinum de Errington
una * habendum pro eodem cursu aque currendo ad eundem molendinum '•' dimiss.
dicto Gilberto Errington hoc anno solvendum ut predictum equaliter. Summa, vj' iiij''.
Summa totalis oneris [vj" xiij'] quibus in regardo dato clerico [pro] scriptura istius compoti prout
[consimilis] allocatio facta est auditori domini regis [ducatus sue] Lancastrie ij'. Et debet vj'' xj'
[que oneratur] super Robertum Bowes militem Domini Bowes {sic) ut p * denar. per ipsum recept.
de dicto computante adhuc solut. •■=
Greenrigge : Compotus Roberti Thurnewall ffirmarii et coUectoris reddituum ibidem per tempus predictum.
.\rreragia : Nulla, etc. Summa nulla.
Tenentes custumarii : Sed respondet de xxiiij' iiij'' ob. de redditu unius placie terre ibidem vocate
Greenerigg hall cum pertinentiis in tenura Domine Carnabye vidue nuper in tenura prioris de
He.xham quondam in tenura Willelmi Etheleye ibidem per copiam, etc. Et de xxxij' de Roberto
Thurnewall pro redditibus exeuntibus de certis terris et tenementis jacentibus in dicta villa de
Grenerigge que tenet per copiam, etc., tamen solebat reddere ante dicta villa combusta erant per
Scotos annuatim .xx.wij' vij'' et modo concedit dicto Roberto Thurnewall pro xxxvij' per annum ut
supra eo quod non ultra dimittere potuerunt prout continetur in compotis annorum precedentium
super hunc compotum ostens. et examinat. Summa Ivj' iiij'' ob.
Summa totalis oneris Ivj' iiij'' ob. quibus allocatur in regardo dato clerico auditoris pro scriptura
istius compoti, etc.. ij'. Et debet regi liiij' iiij'' que oneratur super Robertum Bowes, etc.
' The Erring burn. * Torn.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
71
KeNEI.EY : Compotiis Christoplieri Bee de|)Ulati Willclmi Sparkc prepositi ibiilom per tenipiis predictum.
Arreragia : Nulla prout in pctle, etc. Summa nulla.
Redditus custumarium tenentium ibidem : Sod respondet de xij" vj'' de redditu unius tencmenti vocati le
Menke cum pertinentiis in tenura Johanni ffalakcr per copiam curie secundum consuctudincm mancrii
ad festa predicta.
Rem.mning Copyholders.
Rent. Nature of Land.
6s. ... one tenement called Hyrd Bancke
8s. ... „ Estbanke ...
„ Netherburnelavv
,, Burnelawhill
13s. 4d. ..
4s. 2d. ..
4S. ..
I2d. ..
17s. 7d. ..
7s. 6d. ..
13s. 7d. ..
4s. ...
I2S.
8s. 2d. ..
4s. ..
5S. 8d. ..
2s. 6d.
2S.
2S.
6s. id.
[5s.]
2S. 8d.
2s. 8d.
8d.
3cl.
„ Levingehead
Widelsheld
„ Hiendleywrey
Widen
„ Hiendeleyc hill
„ Akep
„ ffrosteshade
„ Keneley pette
„ Burnestonge
lie miscricordia on an examination of the
rental in the 3Sth year of Henry VIII.
on the rent of one tenement called
Clewghbanck
one tenement called Hollinge grene
„ Halfe Ha[ukestelc]...
„ le Halfe de Haukestele
„ '•' Howse...
„ Westerburne
„ Westerburne
„ Westerburnelowe
„ Huntergappe
one parcel of land called Spekesloning ...
Tenant.
William .Stouste
Matt. Whitfield
William Sparke
Lawrence Philipson and
Rowland Stoute ...
The wife of Lawrence Wilkinson
Matt. Whitcfcldc
John Wilson
Matt. Whitefelde
John Wilson
Matt. Whitefelde
John Hochonson
Robert Richardson ...
Wm. Hochonson
Date of Payment.
.St. .Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
Wm. Hochonson
(ieo. Hochonson
John Hochonson
Hugh '■■■
Hugh Woodmus
* Ormesbye
John Hochonson
Hugh Hochonson
Geo. Rawle
John Stowtes
Summa, vij" v' iiij''.
Summa totalis oneris vij'' v" iiij'' quibus allocatis ei in regardo dato clerico auditoris, etc., ij'. Et
debet vij" iij' iiij*" que oneratar Robertum Bowes, etc.
East aLWEN t : Compotus Hugonis .Sheles prepositi ibidem per tempus predictum.
Arreragia : Nulla, etc. Summa nulla.
Redditus custumariorum tenentium pertinentium officio de .Alcnton : Sed respondet de vij' de redditu
unius tenementi cum pertinentiis vocati Bollocks hott in tenura Willelmi Roland per copiam curie
secundum consuetudinem manerii ad festa predicta.
Remaining Copyholders.
Nature of Land. Tenant. Date of Payment.
one tenement called Wedgerhouse ... Wm. Roland ... ... St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide
„ Bradevvood Hall ... Edwaid Stout ... . ,,
„ Burnescotte ... Hugh Shele ... ... „
„ Reddinge ... ... Lawrence Watson ... ,,
Rent.
2s. 7d.
20s.
5s. Sd.
2S, 2d.
'•= Torn.
72
Rent.
i8d.
6d.
3d.
8s.
js.
9s.
2s. 6d.
7S. 3d.
6s. 5d.
i6d.
7s. 3d.
6s.
7s.
I OS.
4S.
[4S. 8d.]
5s. id.
i6d.
2d.
2d.
6d.
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Nature of Land,
one tenement called Lailye Lande
„ Lames howse
one howse called le Milnehovvse
one parcel of land called le Hope
one tenement called le Estehoppe
„ Morehouse
„ Bouleshill ...
„ Birkeflatte...
one parcel of land called f
„ Port agate
„ fifosterhowse
one tenement...
one tenement called Lonkeley ...
„ Sore *
„ Stonehowse
ij ■ ... ...
„ Overschottesh * ...
one parcel of land called le Tonefeld de
Alenton
one cottage in .-Xllanton
to the church
Tenant.
Anthony Sheley ...
formerly Hugh Ilochonson,
now Thos. Hochonson ...
Matt. Whitefild ...
Heirs of Matt. Dawson
Ambrose Parke ...
Geo. fifillepson
Hugh Hochinson ...
Hugh Cottsall
Robert Richardson
Robt. Pickering ...
John Hindemers, given 18
Oct., 38 Hen. VIII.
fomierly Hugh Rolle now
Hugh Hochonson
Michael ffetherstonehaugh ...
Hugh Sheles
Hug'^h Hochonson ..
Thomas Bee
Edward Stone
Matt. Dawson
Matt. Bee
Lawrence Harwood
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide
one parcel of land belonginii
of St. Mary of .A.llenton ... ... ... „
id. ... one cottage ... ... ... ... Robert Pickering ... ... ,,
Suinma, vj" iij' v".
Redditus custumariorum tencntium pertinentium officio fforestarii de Est Allond : Et dc vij' de redditu unius
tenementi cum pertinentiis vocati Readbumeshell in tenura Matt. Bee per copiam curie secunduin
consuetudinem manerii solvendo ad festa Sancti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter.
Remaining Copyholders.
J
Rent. Nature of Land.
2s. ... one tenement called Dyrthepotshell
s. 6d. .. „ Pesemeadowe
4s. ... „ Whitehill
2s. iid. ... ,,' Ellerspeyll
5s. 3d. ... two tenements called Netherley Spettell
and Watthowse
5s. 2d. ...
one
tenement
callec
Sperterley
8s. Sd. ...
)»
Siptenshell
2S.[3d.]...
»
Rowneterstowe
4s. 5d. ...
J)
Smeroppe ...
4s. 5d. ...
J'
„
3s. 7d. ...
»j
»
4s. id. ...
)'
„
Tenant.
Geo. Hawden
Michael fifaytherstonhaugh
Cuthbert Hawdon ...
Adam Robinson, Hugh Sheld,
& Gilbert Tadcaster
Cuthbert Hawden ...
Hugh Sheld & Gilbert Tadcaster
* Winter
Hugh Hochonson ...
Date of Payment.
St.Martin'sand
Whitsuntide.
/s.
Hayrake ..
"'= Torn.
... Thos. Williamstone ...
t Blank in MS.
SURVaiY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
73
Rent.
4s. ...
2S. 8cl. ...
4s. 6d. ...
i6d. ...
3s. 6d. ...
4s. 7d. ...
3s. 6d. ...
3S. 3d. ...
4s. ...
5s. ...
3s. ...
6s. 8d. ...
2S.
lOS.
los. 6d. ...
5s. ...
5s. 3d. ...
IIS. 6d. ...
IIS. 8d. ...
5s. 6d. ...
4s. 4d. ...
3s. 3d. ...
I2d.
i6d. ...
3d. ...
6d. ...
2d. ...
5s. ...
Nature of Land,
one tenement called Gartichill ...
„ Melopgrenys
„ Huntcwell...
„ Mcdcamegrenes
„ Catthill
„ Scotte Medovv
„ Cotehill
,, Overswenopshell
„ Netherswenopshell ...
„ Hayracke ...
„ Black Cleugh
„ Estangrene
„ Trepeshill ...
„ Netherswenopshell...
„ Huntte Roddes
„ Nether Acton
„ Over Acton
„ Driside
one parcel of land called Ouesley Shelgrene
„ Owsle Meadowe
„ Whitehill
t
t
one tenement called Rafe Harrowgby
t
one tenement called Stowden Medowe ...
Tenant.
Hugh Shelde
Ralph Stevenson
Matt. Writefcld
Michael ffathersnaugh
Wm. Yonger
Wm. Lee ...
Thos. Bee ...
Matt. Whettfilde
Matt. Dawson
„
Matt. Whitefcld
Richard Robbinson ...
Henry fTarler
Renne [.Shell]
Tho. Huchonson
Christopher Rodome
John Winter
Hugh Shelle
Matt. Bee & Hugh Hochonson
Agnes Pereson & Alice Watson
Thos. Bee ...
Thos. Bee ...
Hugh Shelley
Hen. Rolle & Wm. Rolle
John Tod & Geo. Hcyden
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
Summa, ix" vij" vij''.
Firma herbagii parci in onere predicti fibrestarii : Et de liij" iiij'' de redditu unius tenement! cum per-
tinentiis vocati le Woode in tenura Hugonis Shell per copiam curie secundum consuetudinem nianerii
solvendo ad festa Saticti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter.
Rent.
26s. [sd.;
40s. .
30s. .
5s. .
5s. .
30s. .
30s. .
Nature of Land.
one tenement called Stille park
„ Putterfeldshell .
„ Newchell
„ Halfe Hollings.
,, HalfStonden .
Remaining Copyholders.
Tenant.
Bartholemevv Shell
Richard Robbinson
John Shell ...
Cuthbert Shell
John Shell ...
John Stoode...
Geo. Hawden
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and Whitsuntide.
Firma molendini : Et de lx\J" viij*" de redditu unius molendini aquatici ibidem cum pertinentiis in tenura
Hugonis Shell per copiam curie secundum consuetudinem manerii solvendo ad festa Sancti Martini
in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter. Summa patet.
Agistamenta et concellamenta fforeste de Estalwent in onere fforestarii ibidem : Et de ij' ij'' de firma agista-
ment. averiorum pertinentium tenemento Matt. Bee infra fforestam de Eastalwent predictam prout
assessatum est ju.xta porcionem catallorum suoruni in dicta fforesta de pasturis ibidem prout usitatum
fuit infra dictam fforestam ex antiqua cousuetudine dicti manerii, etc.
* Torn.
t Blank in MS.
Vol. III.
10
74
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Remaining Agistments.
I3kl. for the ferni agistment of cattle pertaining to the tenement of Geo. Howden.
23d. ,, „ Michael ffathershallghe.
22d. „ II Cuthbert Hawden.
1 2 1(1. „ I, Katerine Curier.
i8cl_ ,, „ Adam Robinson.
22d. „ ,1 Cuthbert Hawden.
2S. 6d. „ „ Hugh * Sheld.
i4d.
Geo. Winter.
igd. „ ), Tho. Williamson.
I4d. „ „ Hugh Shele.
23^d. „ „ Ralph Stevenson.
23. „ „ Matt. Writefild.
lod. „ „ Michael ffathershaughe.
1 2d. „ „ Wm. Younger.
2S. ,1 )) 1)
1 2a. ij 1) II
i6d. „ „ Wm. Lee.
i6d. „ „ Thos. Bee.
2s. 2d. „ „ Matt. Whetfild.
2 1 id. „ „ Matt. Dawson.
iS^d. „ „ Matt. Whitefild.
2s. „ „ Richard Robinson.
2S. 6d. „ „ Henry fifarler.
ijd. „ „ Renne Shelle.
i5d- ). » 1.
2S. 6d. „ „ Thos. Hochonson and Thos.
Hochonson, junior.
2s. 6d. ,, „ Christopher Rodome.
i6d. „ „ John Winter.
Summa, xlij' ij'' ob.
Perquis. curie cum finibus terre : Et de xiij' ob. de perquis. tenentium ibidem, viz., de amerciamentis
ix' vj'' et de agistamentis xvij bestiarum hoc anno infra dictam fforestam tarn tempore hyemale quam
estivali pascentium iij' vj'' ob., viz., pro quolibet bestia ij'' ob., in toto ut supra, prout in rotulis curie
predicte plenius patet aliquo proficuo proveniente de extrahuria' ibidem acciden. * quod nulla
extrahuria inventa erat per tempus istius compoti ex * fforestarii. Sed respondet de \" viij'' de
finibus * per forestarium de Estalwent, viz., de Radulpho Ste "'• xk^ et de Johanne Dawson
pro fine suo iiij' in toto ut supra prout in rotulis curie plenius apparet. Summa, .x'.
Summa totalis oneris *
Idem computatus in ffeodo fforestae ibidem pro collectione reddituum et firmarum supradictorum
ad XV' ij"' ob. per annum, viz., in allocatione hujusmodi per tempus hujus compoti prout allocatum est
in compotis annorum precedentium xV ij"" ob. Et in fifeodo dicte foreste pro collectione bosci domini
regis ibidem prout consimilis allocatio facta erat tempore archiepiscopi Eboraci .wiij" iiij''. Et in
regardo dato clerico auditoris pro scriptura istius compoti ad ij» per annum, viz., in allocatione hujus-
modi per tempus hujus compoti prout consimilis allocatio factum est auditori domini regis ducatus sue
Lancastrie ij'. Et in expensis seneschalli et aliorum officialium domini regis existentium ad curiam
predictam tentam infra tempus hujus compoti prout per rotulos earundem inde fact, super hunc
compotum ostens. et examinat. apparet x'. Summa, .xP vj'' ob.
Liberaciones denariorum : Et in denariis per dictum compotum liberal. Roberto Bowes militi receptori
domini regis ibidem ad duas vices, viz., per manum Henrici Rowelle prepositi ibidem de redditibus et
' Estreats, see Du Cange sub voce Estrajeriae. ''' Torn.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
75
ffimiis in officio suo vj" iij' v'' et per in.inuin Hugonis Shelles forrestarii ibidem de exitiluis officii sui
hujus anni xxv" vij'' ob. in toto ex recognitione dicti receptoris super hunc compotum coram auditore
xxxj" iiij' ob. Summa, xxxj" iiij" ob.
Summa allocationum et liberacionum xxxiij" iiij' vij''.
NiNEBlNKES CUM Westalland : Compotus Christopheri Bee prepositi ibidem per tempus predictum.
Arreragia : Nulla, etc. Summa nulla.
Redditus custum. : Sed reddet compotum de vj" de redditu unius tenementi cum pertinenciis vocat
Kenlefilde in tenura Rogeri Kenlesyde per copiam curie secundum consuetudineni manerii solvendo
ad festa Sancti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter.
Remaining Copyholders.
Rent.
7S. 4d.
4S. 8d.
5s.
20d.
7s. 2d.
4s. 6d.
17s. 6d.
23s. 6d.
2S. 6d.
2s. 6d.
7s. 5d.
2S. 4d.
7s. 7d.
45.
1 2d.
3s. id.
2S.
2S. lod.
2S. lod.
IIS. 5d.
6s. 4d.
6s.
2S. 3d.
15s.
6d.
Nature of Land.
one parcel of land called Kindelfyldehil ...
one tenement called Yeatehowse
one parcel of land called Whamlands
one cottage called Midlescoote ...
one parcel of land called Karkenpathe ...
„ Driburne
„ Esshes
one tenement called Nynnebinkes
i tenement called Harebanke ...
,, ,,
one tenement called Spertevvell...
one parcel of land called Bats Hille
one tenement called ffernesyde ...
„ Giercootes...
one parcel of land called Grenele cloughe
one tenement called Moupliedd
,, Highesheld
I parcel of land called Nethermoppe
Tenant.
Michael Kendlefilde
Matthew Bee ...
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
Henry Pavvterson
Wm. Bateson ...
Matthew Bee ...
Le Layde prestland
Christopher Wilkinson
John ffraceller ...
Lawrence Wilkinson
John Wilkinson
Alex. Vulston ...
Matt. Bee
Matt. Wheteley...
Lawrence Wilkinson
one tenement called Readeheughe
„ Kireselrawe
„ Netherkirkseylerawe
„ Grastead ...
„ Hawcoppe
one parcel of land called Essenbanke
Summa, vij'' xvj' xj''.
Firma herbagii de Crokedale meadowe : Et de x" de redditu ejusdem herbagii vocati Crokedale medowe
in tenura Willelmi Huchonson per copiam curie secundum consuetudineni manerii solvendo ad festa
Sancti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter. Summa x'.
Firma molendini : Et de xxxiij" iiij'' de fifirnia unius molendini vocati Nynebynks myll in tenura Matt. Bee
apparet tum nuper ad xl'. Summa, xxxiij' iiij''.
[Firma c]ustumariorum [tenjentium de Westalland onere fforestarii : Et de xj' iij"" de redditu unius tene-
menti cum pertincntiis vocati Taylorborne in tenura Willelmi Watson per copiam curie secundum
consuetudineni manerii solvendo annuatim ad festa Sancti Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter.
Rent. Nature of Land. Tenant. Date of Payment.
6s. ... one tenement called Newfild ... ... ... Wm. Watson ... St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
6s. 4d.... „ Nether lynestane braye ... Hugh Phillepson ... „
5s. 8d.... two tenements called Whoofe & Cliffehill ... Matt. Bee ... ... „
76
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Rent.
3S-
8d...
5
s.
6s.
4d...
7s.
Id...
7s.
6d...
4s.
6d...
7s.
4d...
2S.
2d...
3S-
3d...
7s. ..
6s.
4d...
6s.
4d...
[5s.] 7d...
6s.
Id...
6s.
8d...
13s.
lod...
'>t
5s.
I Id...
Nature of Land,
one tenement' called Overlynestame braye
„ Turneshell
„ Hertlieclough Shellde
two tenements called Whiteshelde
„ Overwhitell Shelde
one tenement called Garesheld
two tenements called Smalbouris
one tenement called Blackcloiighshell ...
„ fiferneshell
„ Haypesley
„ Bradeley ...
„ Newke
„ Bradeley ...
Tenant.
Thos. Woodemus
Henry Hawdon
Wm. Sparke
Cuthbert Robinson
Matt. Bee ...
Robt. Jackson
Matt. Bee ...
Henry Hawden
Matt. Bee ...
Anthony Robinson
Matt. Bee ...
Dale of Payment.
St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
„ Medley ...
two tenements called Heslewell
one tenement called Tresshell ...
one close called Shepe meadowe (5s.), with 2 acres
in a certain meadow called Mede meadowes (8d.),
and pasture in the forest of Westalland (3d.) ... Matt. Whitefilde ... „
8d. ... 2 acres pasture in Mede medowe ... ... Robert Pikeringe ... „
Summa, vj'' xvj' vj''.
Perquis. curie cum finibus terre : Et de vij' j'' de perquis. duarum curiarum ibidem tentarum, viz., unius
tenti xiij° die Octobris anno xxxviij'"" Regis Henrici octavi et alteri x° die Maii anno Regis Edwardi
vj" primo scilicet x.x'' de amerciamentis et de fine Rowlandi Stowte ij' j*" et de fine Johannis Patenson
iij' iiij'' in toto ut supra prout patet rotulis corundum super hunc compotum ostens. et examinat. Et
de iij' vj'' ob. de agistamentis xvij bestiarum pascentium infra fforrestam ibidem tempore estivali ;
quilibet eorum ad ij'' ob. prout per rotulos eorundem super hunc compotum examinat. plenius
apparet. Summa, x» vij'' ob.
Summa totalis oneris, xvij" vij' iiij"*.
Ffeodum et regardum cum expensis [seneschalli] curie : Idem computatus in feodo ipsius compoti pro
collectore regis " et firm, predict, ad xv' ij'' ob. per annum, viz., in allocatione hujusmodi per
tempus hujus compoti prout allocatum est in compotis annorum precedentium xv' ij'' ob. Et in
regardo dato clerico auditoris pro scriptura istius compoti ij' per annum, viz., in allocatione
hujusmodi per tempus hujus compoti prout allocatum est in compotis annorum precedentium ij'. Et
in expensis seneschalli et aliorum officium domini regis existentium ad curiam predictam, etc.
Summa, xxvij' ij'' ob.
Liberac. * denar. : Et in denariis oneratis super Robertum Bowes militem particularem receptorem
dicte regalitatis de Hexham ut de tot denariis per ipsum receptorem de Matt. Bee preposito ac de
fiforestario de exitibus officii sui hujus anni et in manibus suis remanentibus adhuc insolutis prout in
eodem compoto plenius apparet. Summa, xvj'' ij''.
Summa allocationum et liberacionum xvij'' vij' iiij' ob. que summa correspondet summe oneris
predicti. Et equaliter.
Newl.\nde cum Rowlewarde : Compotus Johannis Shell prepositi ibidem per tempus predictum.
Arreragia nulla, etc. Summa nulla.
Redditus custumariorum tenentium de Newland cum Rowlcward in onere forestarii : Sed reddet
compotum de vj' viij'' de redditu unius tenementi cum pertinentiis vocati t in tenura Geo.
Hurde per copiam curie secundum consuetudinem manerii solvendo annuatim ad festa Sancti
Martini in hieme et Pentecostes equaliter.
■ Tom.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
11
Remaining Copyholders.
Rent.
•Mature of Land.
Tenant.
2S.
. one tenement
called Mierehovvse
Geo. Hurdc
I2S.
Rowgrene
n
gs. lod. ..
»>
Woodsyde
„
6s. ..
. ^ tenement
called *
)»
6s. ..
11
)i
i8s. ..
■ one tenement
called Leyle
Rowland Readeshawe
26s. yd. ..
)i
Urdehall ...
Thos. Armstronge ..
60s.
n
t -
Robert Thurbottell ...
17s. id. ..
^^)
Overardley
11
4s. 4d. .
,,
Wardeley ...
Richard Thurbottell...
22s.
. all the lands
of Ardele, \ of Tiufehousc
and \ Whitehall ...
Richard Readshawe...
4s. .
. one tenement
called Whitehall ...
Richard West
1 2d. .
))
Cokrigshell
1.
I2d. ..
)i
Stanhowse
„
8d. .
)i
Trusehowse
,,
8s. .
51
Lileswood,
and
the
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and
Whitsinitide.
said tenement with its appurtenances
is called Parkehowse, and le five dayes
worke
8d. ... one tenement called Milnehowse
4s. 4d. ... „ Howborneshell and le
fyve dayes worke ...
los. ... one tenement called Stobfolde ...
28. 6d. ... „ Litterigem
7s. gd. ... „ Hesliwell ...
5s. 2d. ... „ Hulhowse ...
i6s. ... „ Langley ...
8s. 6d. ... „ Westerchell
40s. ... „ Westerchell and
Henry Hurd
Richard West
Agnes Hurde
Cuthbert Hurd
Wm. Cokeman
John Swinebourne ...
Richard Swawdell ...
occupied by Wm. Huid
Geo. Armestronge ...
John Armestronge ...
Sowthe She!! alias Ridelamehoppe
Redditum magistri et confratrum nuper hospitalis de Kepyre tempore contumacie ejusdem quern
quidem tenuerunt de archiepiscopo Eboraci ut parcellum manerii sui de Hexham nunc in manibus
domini regis existent, ratione excambii inter eundem dominum regem et dictum archiepiscopum factum
redditu annuatim xl' per redditum ejusdem. Ac cum dictus nuper hospitalis in manus domini regis
sursum redd, erat dicta parcella terre valuata erat ut parcella possessionum ejusdem nuper hospitalis
quod quidem hospitale dictus rex pro certa consideratione concessit ac vendidit Willelmo Paget militi
per literas patentes sub magno sigillo Anglie et postea in manus domini regis devenit ratione excambii
inter suum serenissimum majestatem et ejusdem Willelmum Paget prout in quadam indentura de
eodem excambio facto apparere potest, hie non respondet eo quod dictus redditus responsus est dicto
domino regi inter possessiones dicti nuper hospitalis de Kepyre ratione excambii predicti prout tamen
in quibusdem indenturis de conventione dicti excambii inter dictum dominum regem et predictum
Willelmum Paget militem factum quam per quandam indenturam sub sigillo curie augmentationis
post dictum excambium factum ejusdem Joh. Ffranckelyn de omnibus possessionibus dicte nuper
hospitalis plenius patet.
Et de iiij'' xix' viij'' de redditu unius tenement! cum pertinentiis vocati Aldumshell in tenura Geo.
Ogle per copiam curie secundum consuetudinem manerii solvendo ad festa predicta.
■ Torn.
t Blank in MS.
78
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Rent.
Nature of Land.
Tenant.
Date of Payment.
8s. loid.
2 tenements
called Nallertstede
John Swineborne
. St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
4s. sAd.
land pertaining to one tenement called Nallarstede
Richard Werdell ..
8s. ..
one tenement called Baikehowse
John Swineborne
n
4s. ..
,,
Dalton
)»
J»
5s. 4d. ..
»
Mayhill
James Cheste
i»
3s. ...
ji
Hambrig hall
Thos. Cramere
))
2S. 6d. ...
u
Esshe Shells
Thos. Gibson
"
lOS.
))
Winterhowse
))
6s. ...
»
Heghe
John Swineborne
»)
6s. ...
)»
Blackhall ...
n
* »»
8s. ...
'»
Stelle
»>
)»
2s. 4d. ...
„
Netherstappleye
Thos. Rowland
Jl
2S.
one
meadow
called Mire mede
John Swineburne
11
5s. 6d. ...
one
tenement called Westell
Richard Cookeman ..
JJ
5s. ...
1)
Harsudlehowse
VVm. Armestronge ..
6s. ...
»
Lilewood ...
Geo. Armestronge ..
J,
4s. lod. ...
one
meadow
called Edesmedowe
Cuthbert Ogle
>»
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and Whitsuntide.
Summa, x.\iij'' ix''.
Firma certarum terrarum nuper in tenura prions de Hexham: Et de xij' de redditu unius tenementi vocati
Harewood shell cum pertinentiis in tenura Reginaldi Carnabye per indentura per archiepiscopum
Eboraci sibi inde confert. solvendo ad festa predicta equaliter.
Et de x' iiij'' de redditu unius tenementi cum pertinentiis vocati Newbiggen in tenura executorum
Reginaldi Carnabye per copiam curie secundum consuetudinem manerii solvendo annuatim ad festa
Sancti Martini hieme et Pentecostes equaliter.
Remaining Copyholders.
Rent. Nature of Land. Tenant.
I2S. ... divers tenements called Stobley ... +
IIS. ... one tenement called Overshells ... John Hidwine ... „
Summa, xlv" iv".
Agestamenta tforeste de Newland cum Rowleward : Et de xij'' de firma agestamenti averiorum tempore
estivali infra dictam fforestam de Newlande cum Rowlewarde prout assessata est juxta portionem
catallorum, etc. Summa, xij''.
Firma molendini : Et de xxvi* viij'' de redditu unius molendini aquatici ibidem vocati WTietlemyll in
tenura Henrici Ogle et Georgii Ogle per copiain curie, etc. Summa patet.
Perquisitiones curie : Et de Ivij' iiij'' de perquisitionibus duarum curiarum ibidem hoc anno tentarum, viz.,
unius tente 14'° die Mali anno Regis Edwardi vj" primo, alterius tente 4'° die Novembris dicto anno
primo scilicet xij"* de amerciamentis necnon de finibus, viz., pro fine Thome Leshman iij' v^ et de fine
Thome Armestrong xix* .x'' et de fine Radulphi Hurd '■■ et de fine Johannis Hurde x^ vij'' in toto
ut su[pradictuni] . . . per hunc compotum ostens. et examinat. Summa patet.
Summa totalis oneris xxix'' xj» jd.
Feodum et regardum cum expensis seneschalli curie : Idem computatus in ffeodo ipsius computantis ad
Ix" x'' per annum, cui Edwardus permissione divina Eboraci archiepiscopus Anglie primatus et metro-
politan, dedit et concessit officium fforestarii in fiforesta infra regaliam de Hexham vocata Newlande,
officiumque alterius fforestarii in fforesta predicta quod Willelmus Simpson olim occupavit et nuper
Johannes Crosley tenuit et occupavit habendum et tenendum et occupandum predictum officium
unius fforestarii in fforesta infra regaliam de Hexham predictam vocata Newlands et alterius fforestarii
in fforesta predicta quod quidem Willelmus Simsun olim occupavit et nuper Johannes Crosley tenuit
et occupavit cum omnibus et singulis proficuis et commoditatibus et emolumentis ac predictis officiis
* Tom.
t Blank in MS.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR. 79
et eorum alteri debitis et consuetis cuidcm Roberto Crake et prefato Johanni Shell et eorum altcri
per se ipsos et alter eorum per dcputatos suos et alterius eorum pro termino vite cum ffeodo el vade
subscriptis, viz., pro exercitio et occupatione officii unius fforestarii in fiforresta infra regaliam de
Hexham vocata Newlands unius denarii per diem et pro officio alterius ffijrestarii in ffbrresta predicta
quod Willelmus Simson et Johannes Crosley olini occupaverunt vadium et ffeodum consuetum haben-
dum et percipiendum omnia predicta ffeoda et vadia unius denarii per diem et ffeoda et vadia consueta
predicta cum omnibus et singulis suis proficuis, commoditatibus, et emolumentis predictis Roberto
Crake, et Johanni Shell et alteri eorum pro termino vite eorundem Roberti et Johannis et alterius
diutius viventis tam per manus receptoris regalie predicte quam per manus generalis receptoris archie-
piscopati Eboraci sen occupatoris dicte regalie pro tempore existentis ad festa Pasche et Sancti
Michaelis Archangeli per equales portiones annuatim solvendo prout in litteris patentibus dicti archie-
piscopi prefatis Roberto Crake et Johanni Sheld coniectis datis 3° die Aprilis anno domini 1540
plenius patet, viz., in allocatione hujusmodi feodi per tempus hujus compoti pro officio suo ibidem hoc
anno e.xercendo prout allocatum est in compotis annorum. precedentium 1.x' x''. Et in regardo dato
clerico auditoris, etc., ij". Et in expensis seneschalli, etc. Summa, Ixvij* x^.
Liberaciones denariorum : Et in denariis oneratis super Robertum Bowes militem particularem receptorem
dicti regalitatis de Hexham ut de tot denariis per ipsum receptis de exitibus officii sui hujus anni tam
prepositi quam fforestarii et in manibus suis remanent, adhuc insolutis prout in eodem compoto
apparet. Summa, xxv'' xviij' iij''.
Summa allocacionum et liberacionum xxix'' xj' j'' que summa correspondet summe oneris
predicti.
Hexham Burgus: Compotus Roberti Thurwall collectoris reddituum ibidem per tempus predictum.
Arreragia: Nulla, etc. Summa nulla.
Redditus et firmae infra villam de Hexham: Sed reddet compotum P iiij'' de firnia diversorum burgagi-
orum cum pertinentiis in tenura Davidis Carnabye nuper in tenura Thome Carnabye per copiam
curie, etc.
Remaining Copyholders.
Rent. Nature of Holding. Tenant. Date of Payment.
20s. ... ferm of divers burgages formerly
Lisley ... ... ... lately Geo. Ogle, now his widow ... ...St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide,
los. ... „ „ ... formerly Nicholas Errington, now David
Camaby ... ... ... ... „
... formerly Wm. Lawson, now Cuthbert
Carnaby, during the minority of the
daughters of Reynold Camaby ... „
... formerly Rowland Redshawe, now ex"
Reynold Carnaby ... ... ••• „
... formerly heirs of Mr. Swineborne, now
executors of Reynold Carnaby ... „
... Chantry chapel called Le Ladye prest ... „
... lately Matt. Bee, now Thos. Armstrong ... „
... Chantry de Lez Roode, and chantry of
Edw. Herrison ... ... .•• „
... formerly John Burnell, now John Morton... „
„ Rowland Rowtes, now Wm. Johnson „
„ Richard Bainebrigge, now Antony
Bainbrigge ... ... •.• »
6s. 8d. ... divers lands called Johnson's
lond ... ... ... formerly Edward Taylor, now Wm. Lettil-
skill, 4s., and Thos. Smythe ... ... ,1
28s. 7d. ..
. ferm of one burgage
4s. 6d. ..
. divers burgages
3s. 4d. ..
11
14s. I id. ..
>i
3s. ..
. rents and farms
2d. ..
. one burgage
2d. ..
. divers lands
2S. lid. ..
. one burgage
35s. 6d. ..
)T
8o
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Rent.
Nature ol Holding.
2S. 8d.'..
. divers lands
2S.
one burgage
lod. ..
. divers burgages
4s. 8d. ..
„ and lands (Cher-
denlands)...
4s. 8d. ..
. one burgage
I2d. ..
rents and ferm
Id. ..
. ferm
Sd. ..
divers burgages
3d. ..
one burgage
9d. ..
. divers lands
4s. 5d. ..
„ burgages
2d. ..
. one garden within the precincts
of the manor
i2d. ..
divers burgages
6s. 4d. ..
. A a land called Chamblond
4s. lod. ..
. one burgage
4s. I id. ..
. divers burgages and Johnson
lond
Id. ..
. certain lands formerly Littleskills'
Id. ..
. certain lands
7s. 4d. ..
. a moiety called Chamberlond ...
4d. ..
. divers burgages
4d. ..
. one burgage
3d. ..
. divers burgages
2d. ..
. one burgage
6d. ..
. one almshouse
4d. ..
. one burgage
4d. ..
„
i6d. ..
„
20d. ..
. one tenement
Tenant.
Dale of Payment.
, St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
formerly Edmund Gibson, now Richard
Gibson ...
formerly Nicholas Ridley, now Robert
Leyghton ... ... ... ... „
Edward, son and heir of Edward Leyghton .,
Rowland Lecheman, Alexander Armestrong,
Antony Towland ... ... ... „
formerly John Rowlandson, now Robert
Kelley
formerly John Swineborne, now Thos.
Lyddall, Robert Stowte, and Antony Marie „
formerly Edw. Linewood, now Robert Gibson ,.
John Wilson formerly, now his wife ... „
Matt. Hurste formerly, now Thos. Hurst ... „
Thos. Ellenson formerly, now Wm. EUenson „
Wife of John Stephenson ... ... „
Matt. Cooke ...
formerly John Ulstan, now Geo. Leyshman „
formerly wife of Robert Johnson, now
Ninian Johnson ... ... ••■ „
formerly Thos. Robson for Lord Ogle, now
Mr. Stephenson, 2s., and for Carres'
land, 2s. ... ... ... ... „
Matt. Litleskell ... ... ... „
„ ... ... ... „
formerly Wm. Hurst, now John Hurste ... „
formerly Thos. Robson, now Robert
Stephanson ... ... ••• „
Roger Pigge ... ... ... ••• „
formerly Robert Stephanson, now Wm.
Crawe ... ... ... -.• „
John Monkes ... ... ... ••• „
Jas. Herrison ... ... ... ... „
fonnerly Gilbert Errington, now John Lin-
wood ... ... ... ... „
formerly Archibald Stochell, now Nicholas
Stochell, his son ... ... ... „
Thos. Gibson ...
formerly John Annestronge, now Gilbert
Reede for the heirs of the said John ... „
formerly prior of Lanercost, now Roger
Shawe ... ... ... ... „
' Distributed as follows : land formerly Cares', I2d., for rent of a parcel of land formerly Ulstan's, 4d.,
for the ferm of one cottage with a small garden annexed to the same, containing on an estimate half an
acre, as well as a certain parcel of another called Howie orchard, 6d., for the land of Rowlandsone,
formerly fforsteis, 4d., for lands lately Tho. Hirst's, 4s., and for the ferm of a parcel of land formerly
Cares', 2d.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
8l
Rent.
Nature of Holding,
3d. ..
. garden
I Id. ..
. divers burgages
4d. ..
,,
i5d. ..
. certain lands
24s. I id. ..
. divers lands, etc.
I OS. 8d. ..
•
Tenant.
Roger Shavve
Date of Payment.
....St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
14s. I id.
lod.
7s. 8d.
7s. lod.
37s.
2d.
5s.
3d.
6d.
7d.
2d.
4d.
4d.
3s. I Id.
one tenement and burgage
divers lands £
one burgage
divers lands r
one burgage
certain lands formerly fforster's
lands
divers lands
one burgage
one garden within the aforesaid
manor
lands and burgages formerly in
the hands of the late monas-
tery of He.xham before the
dissolution of the same ; par-
cel of Carres land, 2s. 3d.,
parcell of Stephenson's land,
I4d., and other lands, 6d.
Wife of Hudson and Edinund Johnson
Thos. Smythe ...
lately Ric. Cartinge, formerly John Hurd,
now Cuthbert Hurd...
Alex. Ulstan, heir of John Ulstan
lately wife of Richard Leishman, and now
Richard Leyshman, los. 2d., and for
lands formerly Ulstan's, 6d. ...
Isabella Witfforthe, Robert Thtnlwall, and
Antony Errington ...
Richard Hurde
wife of Thos. Sowreby ...
John Armestronge
lately wife of Ecky, now Thos. Crane
lately Ulstan, now Rowland Leycheman . .
John Ridley
formerly Rowland Rowle, now Thos.
Hynemers ...
Matt. Johnson
lately Wm. Johnson, now Arthur Lee
lately Wm. Pilgrave, now Edw. Hurste ...
lately Thos. Armestronge, now Wm. Litle-
skill and Roger Pigge
John Errington
Rent.
Cuthbert Carnabye ... ... ... „
Suinma, xviij''.
Freeholders.
Libera firma : Et de xxxii' iij'' de libero redditu Johannis Wetheringstone militis pro diversis terris in
Buckcliffe secundum consuctudincm manerii solvcndo annuatim ad festa Sancti Martini in hicme ct
Pentecostes equaliter.
Tenant. Date of Payment.
Nicholas Errington and heiis of Gilbert
Errington, formerly John Fallofilde's
I2S. 5d., for lands formerly John Erring-
ton's, 3s., and for lands lately John
Taylor's, 7s. 4d. ... ... ...St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
Odinel Carnabye
Wm. Carnabye ... ... ... „
Robert Errington ... ... ... „
II
22s. gd.
Holding,
lands formerly John Errington's
IIS. 8d. ... lands at
Portgate and Portgate
Lcazes
...
2s. 4d. ...
U 51
I2S. lod. ... „
)3 J)
Vol. II L
82
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Rent.
8s. Id.
4d. ,
loos. .
15s. .
38s. 5W. .
80s.
24s. Sid....
Holding.
lands in Bingfield
Tenant. Date of Payment.
Thos. Errington of Bingfield, formerly
Roger Ashe, before that Cuthbert
Shaftoo and Swinburne heirs ...
.St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
Thekcrington
Heselden ...
Costeley, at 3s. for
services and customs
there
Langhope alias Bag-
rowe
Errington and Cokelaw
John Witherington
Cuthbert Shaftoo
Thomas Errington
John Rewley (Ridley)
Nicholas Errington ... ... ... „
Summa, xvij" viij" v'.
Firma terrarum nuper in tenura prioris de Hexham : Et de xij'' oh. de redditu unius burgagii ibidem cum
pertinentiis in tenura Willclmi Ellenson.
Date of Payment.
... St. Martin's and
WTiitsuntide.
Rent.
Holding.
Tenant.
3d. .
.. one burgage
John Ridley ...
8d. .
»
„
I2ld. .
. 2 burgages
John Stokewall
i6d. .
»)
Thos. Holland
i6d. .
John Sadler ...
2d. .
. one burgage
John Watson...
2S. id. .
»j
John Heshlihope
2S.
»»
...
Simon ffarlam
4d. .
John Hutton ...
8d. .
. one garden
t
:s. 3d. .
. one burgage
Alexander Wilkinson
2S.
. 2 burgages, lately
built in the Market
place near K
irkstille
t
7d. .
. one burgage
...
Wm. Carrowke
3d. .
,,
...
Thos. Whelpedale
8d. .
. 7 acres of land
lately Thos. Barthole
3d. .
. one burgage
...
Robert Parson
1 2d. .
. one tenement
new
ly built in He.xham
lod.
80s.
26s. Sd.
9s. id.
4s. 2d.
20S.
1 2d.
6s. 8d.
64s.
Market place
10 borates of land lying in lees Nether-
hawgh ...
herbage called le Westewoode
certain lands called Leckingshawgh ...
„ in Dotland parke
divers tofts in closes in the Seale
one close with wood called Yokesley ...
one parcel of land called Yarwithe hotte
one tenement called Bingfilde
32 acres of land in le Milne Hawghe at
Halle flatte
Cuthbert Carnabye and Lady
Carnabye, executors of Rey-
nold Carnabye
t Blank in MS.
SURVEY OK HKXHAM MANOR.
83
Rent. Holiling.
6s. ... 3 acres of land called Hollands
I id. ... divers acres in le Northchaughe called
Hartebarland
I2d. ... ^ an acre in le Northchawghe
2S. ... 5 an acre in the wood of Alvvoode, near
the mill pond of the Tyne mill
8s. ... divers lands called Proktor lends
IIS. Sd. ... 40 acres of land between Akewood and
Aynewike township
2IS. ... 'the manor there with its appurtenances,
called Bewfronte, and a water course
of Kirkeborne
2s. ... one burgage
8d. ... „
I5id. ... divers lands and burgages
2s. 6d. ... 2 burgages
I2d. ... one windmill, built by the late prior of
He.xham...
one underwood called le West woode ...
t
one burgage
certain lands
Tcnrinl.
Cuthbert Carnabye and Lady
Carnabye, executors of Rey-
nold Carnabye
Date of P,iyment,
-St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
(jilbert Errington
t
E.xecutors of Raynold Carnabye...
Robert Watson
Archibald Stokehalle ...
Executors of Raynold Carnaby ..
Thos. Robson and John Gibson...
t
40s.
I OS.
2d.
8d.
2d.
8d.
Prior and convent of Hexham ...
t
John Wardall
lately Richard Amiestrong
„ ... ... ... lately Robert Whitestales
„ ... ... ... Rosa Whitefild
divers tenements ... ... ... Robert Whitestales
Summa, xvij'' iij'' ob.
Firma terrarum : Et de xxx' de firma unius clausi vocati hall orchard in tenura Roberti Bowes inilitis,
uUra 4 carritat. fifeni et unum plaustrat. straminis per expens. equorum auditoris domini regis tempore
audit, deliberand. apud Hexham ad custodem firmarii. Summa patet.
Exitus tolnet. cum aliis : Et de liij' iiij' de firma telnet, nundini et mercati de Hexhain in tenura Galfridi
Parkenson Iiij" iiij'' per annum tamen solebat reddere iiij'' solvendo ad festum Sancti Michaelis
Archangeli.
Et de x" de firma passagii aque vocati les fferrye in tenura Roberti Armstronge solvendo ad
festum .Sancti Michaelis Archangeli.
Et de x' iiij'' de firma miner! carbonis in Cadden juxta villam de Alcon et ffallowfilde ad x' iiij''
per annum in tenura Cuthberti Carnabye in jure Ricardi Carnabye minoris. Summa, Ixxiij" viij''.
Minerum plumbi : ix' iii*" in aliquo proficuo proveniente de e.xitu et proficuo unius miner! plumb! infra
fforestam de Estealland ex recognitione Johannis Shele ffirmarii ejusdem solvendo ad festum Sancti
Michaelis .Archangeli. Summa nulla.
Perquisitiones curie ad finibus terre: Et de xxviij' ij'' de perquisitionibus curie ibidem hoc anno tente, viz.,
xiiij' vj'' de amerciamentis necnon de finibus, viz., pro fine Johannis Armestronge vij" x'' et fine Roberti
Stowte iij'' et pro fine Antonii Marlowe iij'' et pro fine ."^.lexandri Armestrong xviij'' et de fine Rowland!
Lecheman iij" et de fine Antonii Towland ij'' et de fine Johannis Armestronge viij'. In toto prout per
e.xtracto earundem super hunc compotum ostens. plenius patet. Summa, xxviij' ij '.
Summa totalis oneris, lix'' vj'' ob.
Idem computat in decremento redditus unius parcelli terre in [tenura] Cuthberti Shaftoo vocati
Thokerington superius onerati ad c' [per] annum sibi allocatum ex discretione Roberti Bowes militis
t Blank in MS.
84 HEXHAMSHIRE.
receptoris particularis diclariim tcnarum rationc gueiri versus Scotos ibidem hoc anno * eo
quod dicte terre jacent prope lynesdale sic quod dictus tenens non potuit quietus occupare dictas
terras ideo hie in allocacione per te?npus hujus compoti xx". Summa patet.
Feodum et regardum cum expensis seneschalli : Et in feodo Roberti Bowes militis capitalis seneschalli
dominii, libertatis, et ffranchesis de Hexham et Hexham sheyre in comitatu Northumbrie ac omnium
et singularum terrarum, tenementorum et hereditamentorum domini regis quorumcunque in Hexham
et Hexhamshire in dicto comitatu Northumbrie nuper parcellum posscssionum archiepiscopi Eboraci,
et jam in manibus domini regis existentium eidem concessum per Htteras patentes domini regis datas
apud Westmonasterium xix" die Martii anno Regis Henrici viij" xxxvj"' habendum, tenendum
gaudendum et excercendum dictum officium prefato Roberto Bowes mihti per se vel per sufficientem
deputatum sive deputatos suos sufficientes durante vita sua naturah una cum omnibus vadis, ffeodis,
proficuis, commoditalibus, preeminentiis, regardis, et advantagiis eidem officio quovismodo pertinenti-
bus vel spectantibus in tam amplis modo et forma prout aliquis alius sive aliqui alii officiales predicti
perantea habentes exercentes, etc., habuerunt et perciperunt, etc., de et in eodem. Et insuper dictus
dominus rex de uberiori gratia sua dedit et concessit prefato Roberto Bowes militi pro exercitione et
occupatione officii predicti capitalis seneschalli vadium et ffeodum vj" xiij' iiij*" per annum habendum
levandum et annuatim percipiendum eundem fifeodum durante vita sua naturali de exitibus revencioni-
bus et proficuis predicti dominii terre, etc., annuatim provenientibus sive crescentibus tam per
manus suas proprias et in manibus suis propriis retinendis quam per manus ffirmarii tcntis et
occupatis et * pro tempore existente ad duos anni terminos, viz., ad festa annunciationis Beate
Marie Virginis et Sancti Michaelis Archangel! [equis] portionibus annuatim solvendis ad festa
predicta equaliter prout in eisdem litteris patentibus apparet, viz., in allocatione hujusmodi ffeodi pro
officio suo hoc anno exercendo vigore litterarum patentium predictarum pro toto anno ad festum
Sancti Michaelis Archangeli anno Regis Edwardi vj" primo vj'' xiij' iiij'' et in feodo dicti Roberti Bowes
militis gardiani de le Midle Marches in partibus borealibus Anglie versus Scotiam particularis
receptoris omnium et singulorum reddituum revencionum et proficuum omnium et singulorum
terrarum, etc., cjuorumcunque infra predictam libertatem, etc., de Hexham scilicet concess. per litteris
patentibus apparet, viz., in allocatione hujusmodi per tempus hujus compoti vigore litterarum patentium
pro officio predicto exercendo vj'' xiij" iiij''.
Et in feodo predicti Roberti Bowes militis exercentis officium ballivi, etc., dominii, libertatis, etc.,
de Hexham, etc., sibi concessum per litteras patentes, etc., cum feodo xiij'' vj' viij"* per annum ac
omnibus proficuis, etc., ejusdem ofificii pertinentibus, etc., prout in eisdem litteris patentibus ad largum
apparet, etc. Et in regardo dato Johanni Gibson pro diligente labore suo in custodia bosci domini
regis de le Westwoode ad xiij' iiij'' per annum eidem allocatum ex conventu facta pro officio domini
regis, viz., in allocatione hujusmodi feodi per tempus hujus compoti prout allocatum est in compotis
precedentibus xiij' iiij''. Et in regardo dato Johanni Marshall et Thome Hynnors vocato le sarjant
curie de Hexham predicto pro diligente labore suo in serviendo officiario curie predicte ad xiij' iiij''
quilibet eorum per annum eisdem concess. ex antiqua consuetudine, viz., in allocatione, etc., xxvj' viij''.
Et in denariis solutis ballivo de He.xham pro expensis suis existentibus ibidem apud duas nundinas
tentas in festis Apostolorum Simonis et Jude et Sancti Jacobi secundum antiquam consuetudinem
ibidem usitatam pro diligente, etc., facto in conservationem pacis domini regis, etc., xxvj" viij''. Et in
regardo dato Radulfo Errington custodi castri sive gaole domini regis apud Hexham ex discretione
domini Bowes et Ricardi Huchonson auditoris domini regis ibidem ad xxvj' viij'' per annum, etc. Et
in expensis seneschali et aliorum officium domini regis existentium ad curiam predictam infra tempus
hujus compoti tentam prout per extractas earundem super hunc compotum ostens. et examinat. xxiij'
iiij''. Et in denariis per ipsum solutis tribus fforestariis et ballivis et le sergiant tam pro expensis suis
equitando a villa de Hexham usque villam de Alnewike ultra quam ex consuetudine solent quam pro
diligenti labore, etc., in collectione bonoruni ffelonum, etc., xv. * Et in regardis datis clerico
auditoris pro scriptura istius ••■ compoti prout consimilis allocatio facta est auditori domini
[regis] ducatus sue Lancastrie ij'. Et in feodo Roberti Bowes militis curie totius regalie de Hexham
•'' Tom.
SURVEY OF HKXHAM MANOR.
85
ad x\' per annum, viz., in allocatione hujusmodi piout consimilis allocatio facta fuit receptori Edwardi
nupcr Archicpiscopi Eboraci et preJccessorum suorum ex antiqua consuetudine debit, ut per
compotum ad usum dicti nuiicr Edwardi Archicpiscopi factum de anno Regis Henrici viij'' 35'" xl".
Et in dcnariis per dictum compotum solulis prcdicto Roberto Bowes militi particulariter receptori
totius regalie dc Hexham pro papiro, pargameno, et encaust. ad vj' viij'' per annum, viz., in allocatione,
etc., vj' viij''. Summa, xxxvj" xv' iiij''.
Summa allocationum : x.xxvj" xv' iiij''. Et debet xxij" v' ij' olj. ad quos oncratur de iiij" viij' vij'' ob.
provenientibus de bonis et catallis cujusdcm Johannis Bullock ffelonis quia homicidium fecit, qua
ratione omnia bona sua ad manus domini regis seisita fuerint extendentia ad valorem predictuni
(ultra xxiij' viij'' soluta pro firma sua dec. suo et pro ffeodo coronatoris ut patet particularem villain
inter memorandum hujus anni remanentem, viz., in onerc hujusmodi per tcmpus hujus com|)oli
accidente.
Et summis conjunctis debet xxvj" xiij' .x'' que oneratur in compotum receptoris super die lum
Robertum Bowes particulariter receptorem regalie de Hexham ut pro tot denariis per ipsum receptis
de dicto computante de exitibus officii sui hujus anni et in manibus ejus remanentis et adhuc insolutis
cum x' que idem Robertus Bowes clamat habere pro expensis seneschali curie de Hexham per manus
Walter! Hendley et Thome Mode militis disallocatis prout [in] dicto compoto receptoris hujus anni
magis ad largum continetur. Et hie equaliter.
Cadden : Compotus Robert! Phillipson prepositi ibidem per tenipus predictum.
Arreragia: Nulla, etc. Summa nulla.
Redditus et firma: Sed reddit compotum de viij' de firma unius tenememi cum pertinentiis vocati Cowke-
howse in tenura Matthei Bee per copiam curie secundum consuetudinem manerii solvendo annuatim
ad festa Sancti Martini et Pentecostes equ.aliter.
Rent.
6s.
3s. 5d.
14s.
6s. 3d.
5s. id.
14s.
6s. yd.
lod.
lod.
i6d.
4d.
6s. 8d.
14s. 4d.
6s. lod.
6s.
lOS.
i8d.
13s. 4d.
2s. id.
13s. 4d.
2S. 8d.
8s. 4d.
Remaining Copyholders.
Holding. Tenant.
one tenement called Clowbanke ... Wm. Hochonson
t
Pytrewne ...
Crossehowse
Akeden ...
Bisshopfild
Rydhill ...
one acre of land
one tenement called Coden
Oldecotes
one parcel of meadow ...
one tenement called Bishopside
Henry Hauden
Hugh Hochonson ...
Christopher -Stowte ...
Hugh Sheld
Matt. Bee ...
John Stowte, Alice Watson,
and Nenye Person
Matt. Bohetfild
Geo. ffisher
Thos. Howatson
Robert Pickeringe ...
Robert Phillepson
Wm. .Shorte
Wm. Jottefforth
Edw. and Geo. Rowle
Geo. de Caddon
John Rowle
John Rowle de Caddon
Robert Phillepson de Caddon
Robert Phillepson, Rowland
Stobte, and Hugh Robbinson
Geo. Rowle
Robert Bastenwette ...
Date of Payment.
St. Mai-tin'sand
Whitsuntide.
t Blank in MS.
86
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Rent.
4s.
Holdinf^.
one tenement
Tenant.
John Reclason andThos.Stowte
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
3s. ... „ called !e Holehawghe ... Matt. Whitefild ... ... „
2s. fid. ... „ „ Cowperhouse ... Robert Pickering ... ... „
13d. ... one parcel of land called .Stevvteparke
alias Staynes... ... ... ... Edward Watson ... ... „
-Siimnia, viij'' ij' iiij''.
Redditus pert, officio scaccarii : Et de iiij* vj"" do redditu unius tcnenienli vocati Pawpertnowse in teniira
Thome Bee pertinente officio scaccarii ibidem solvendo ad festa predicta.
Rent. Nature of Tenement.
2s. 3d. ... one tenement called -Sprodslemeadowe
2s. 3d. ... „ Sprowslemedowe
3s. ... „ Breggette ...
15s. ... „ Cotton leye
20s. ... „ Howsepette
3s. 4d. ... a piece of land of Hawltonne
6s. 8d. ... another piece of land of Havvlton
14s. ... certain lands called Oldctowne ...
Tenant.
Thos. Phillepson
Katerine Cowrer
Christopher Hawden
Cuthbert Hawdon ..
Thos. Hawdon
Thos. Stowte
John Robertson
Geo. Rewe
Date of Payment.
St. Martin's and
Whitsuntide.
Summa, iij'' xj'.
Regardus : Idem computat. in regardo dato clerico auditoris pro scriptura istius compoti et parcell.
ejusdem ad iij' (sic) per annum, viz., in allocatione hujusmodi, etc. Summa, ij'.
AUocatio Redditus : Quoniam allocatio redditus unius tenementi cum pertinentiis in tenura Willelmi
Hochonson superius in isto compote oneratur ad vj' per annum infra suinmam viij'' ij' iiij*" ed quod
reddere debet in isto compoto nisi xij'' at aliter v* oneratur est superius in isto libro in compoto
prepositi de Kenleye infra summam vij" v"" iiij"' sic quod dupliciter oneratur ideo hie alloc, per tempus
hujus compoti v'. Summa, v'.
Liberacio denariorum : Quoniam denarius oneratur super Robertum Bowes militem, particularem
receptorem dicte regalie de Hexham ut de tot denariis per ipsum receptis de exitibus officii sui hujus
anni et manum suam remanent, adhuc insolutis prout in eodem compoto plenius patet xj'' vj' iiij''.
Summa allocacionum et liberacionum xj" xiij* iiij'' que summa correspondet summe oneris predicti.
Et equaliter.
Survey of 1608.'
A survey of the mannor and regalitie of Hexham within the countie of Northumberlande, ancientlye
parcell of the possessions belonginge vnto the archbishoppricke of Vorke came to the crowne by exchange
made betweene Kinge Henrye the eighte and Cardinal! t then archbishopp of Yorke and soe hath
remayned in the crowne euer since: made and taken in September. 1608. In the sixth yeere of the raigne
of our soueraigne lorde Kinge James, etc., and of Scotlande the xlij"' by Earth. Haggatt and George
Warde gentlemen, by vertue of his majesties especiall comission to them in that behaulfe, directed out of
his highnes courte of Exchequer dated the xj"' daye of Julye in the yeere of our lorde abouesaide.
He.xham regalitie is diuided into seuerall greavshipps, viz., Alwenton greavship, Catton greavship,
Keanlye greavship, Hexhamshire, Hexham towne, Eastalwentdale greavship, Weastalwentdale greavship.
Wall greavship, Acombe greavship. Consisting of freehoulde, coppiholde, customarye, leasehoulde.
Meinorandum: wheras vnder euerye particuler entrey of this booke ther is founde these wordes valor
annualis vltra redditum, it is to be vnderstoode the cleere yeerly value aboue the ould rent. That is to
saye, the rent is allready subducted, and that value ther expressed is the cleere improued rent aboue the
ould rent.
Land Revenue Office, Survey of Hexham Royalty, 1608.
t Blank in MS.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
87
William
^7 6s. Sd.
Ridley
Freeholders within •ihf. Rkcai.itif. of IIkxham.
loiildeth ther in fee farmc ccrtainc landc called Westwood
and payeth yeerlie rent
Tenant.
Malye Lishman, widdowe
Edwarde Ratcliffe
William Bell
Roberte Humble
Edwarde Hirste
Edmunde Oliuer
Edwarde Little
William Liddall
John Steuenson
William Soulbye
Gilberte Errington
Idem
Thomas Carnabye
John Errington
Nicholas Carnabye
Thomas Storj-e
Holding.
. certaine lande beinge but one acre
... certaine land called Adensheeldes
... a burgage withe the appurtenances
... one burgage and the appurtenances
... certaine lande
... certaine lande
... certaine lande
... a burgage ...
... certaine lande
... certaine lande
... freelie, certaine landes called Westerrington alias
Cocklawe, in free soccage ...
... certaine lande called Fallowfielde, freelye in free
soccage ...
... certaine lande
... certaine lande
... houldeth in Portgate freelye certaine lande
... houldeth in Bingfielde freelie certaine lande
Somme of the freerentes ther, £2 17s. 5d.
Yearly Rent
i
s.
d.
0
0
8
4
19
8
0
0
4
0
I
8
0
7
6
0
3
8
0
0
8
0
I
8
0
0
4
0
0
8
1
2
9
0
1 1
6
0
12
10
0
2
4
0
S
0
COPPIHOLDERS.
Alwenton GREAVSHIP, parcell of Hexham regalitie :
John Dawson houldeth ther by coppie of courtroll sibi heredibus et assignatis suis
consuetudinem, etc., a certaine tenement called the North houpe, per annum, 5s. i id.
Valor annualis vltra redditum, £1 13s. 4d.
Tenant.
Hughe Sparke
Nicholas Madson ...
Idem
George Dawson
William Hucheson ...
George Heselopp ...
Hugh Cottfourth ...
John Madson
William Hucheson ...
Idem
Idem Wm. Hucheson
George Heselop
John Heslopp
Matthew Bee
Hugh Sheele
Cuthbert Sparke
Hugh Sheile of Woye
Holding.
a tenement with the appurtenances, called the
South Houpe ...
a certaine tenement called Cosseholl
one halfe of a tenement called Moorehouse ...
the other haulfe of the saide Moorehouse
tenement
a certaine tenement called Bullishill
a certaine tenement called Draperhouse
a certaine teneinent called Tommes house
Fostersteedes
Easterstonehouse ...
Westerstonehouse
Poddisbanke
the one haulfe of a tenement called Lonkelie...
the other haulfe of the saide tenement called
Lonkelie
a certaine howse in Alhventon
a certaine tenement in Allwentown ...
a certaine house and a barne
Burnefoute
ssig
na
is suis
secundum
5s
11
d.
Yearly Value
Vea
riy Rent.
above Rent.
£
s.
d.
£
s.
d.
0
3
10
I
2
0
0
I
4
0
12
0
0
4
6
I
6
8
0
4
6
,
6
8
0
2
6
0
'5
0
0
6
5
1
>5
0
0
7
3
0
0
0
0
7
7
2
0
0
0
6
0
I
'5
0
0
4
I
I
4
0
0
2
2
0
13
4
0
3
6
I
0
0
0
3
6
I
0
0
0
0
o
0
t
6
0
I
0
0
8
0
0
0
•>
0
3
4
0
5
7
I
•3
4
88
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Holding,
the halfe of a ccrtaine tenement called Bowes
hott ...
the other haulfe of the saide Bowes hott
Brodwoodhall
Weggor house
Scothall ...
one other tenement called the Neather Scotthall
another parcell of Scotthall and a parcell of
Whiterigge Sheele
Lanimes house
the Skoreheade ...
Fynchill ...
Allenton...
Nethermill
Chaunterie lande ...
one other tenement called Chaunterie lande
a stonehouse
Some totall of theyeerly values of the coppiholde land within AlKventon, ^40 15s. 2d. aboue the (
■Some totall of the old rent yeerlie paid, £6 7s. iid.
Tenant.
William Rowell
Cuthbert Rowell ...
Thomas Bee
Idem
Thomas Williamson
Idem Thomas Williamson
Idem
William Hucheson ..
John Hucheson
Idem
John Haddon
Clement Heslop
Anthonie Sheele
Margarett Pattison..
Thomas Hewatson ..
Yearly Value
Yearly Rent. above Rent.
£ s d. C s. d.
0 3
6 1
0 0
0 3
6 I
0 0
I 0
0 8
0 0
0 2
0 6
7 0
I 2
15 0
0 0
0 4
7 1
10 0
0 I
0 0
8 0
6 0
13 4
5 0
0 7
0 0
8 2
8 0
3 4
6 8
0 I
8 0
10 0
0 2
0 0
15 0
0 I
6 0
10 0
0 I
0 0
4 0
8 0
10 0
6 8
. 2d. aboue the ould rent.
COPPIHOLDERS.
COTTON GREAVSHIP, parcell of Hexham regalitie :
Tenant.
Leonarde Wilson
Widdowe Wilson
John Frenche
Jenkyn Stoute
James Routlidge
Marke Svvingborne
Richarde Robeson
George Heslopp and Gerarde
Stocoe ...
John Hawdon
John Richeson
Cuthbert Rowell
Hughe Sheele
Jane Sparke and Elizabeth
Armstronge
Hughe Rowle
Cuthbert Hawdon
Thomas Stoute
Cuthberte Heslop
John Cottforth
Thomas Stoute
Richarde Pierson
Cuthberte Sheele
Matthew Bee
Anthony Dawson
Theires of Thomas Stoute
Leonarde Sheele ...
Holding.
a certaine tenement called Holehaughe
a certaine tenement in the Busshopside
a certaine tenement in Olde Towne
a tenement in the Oulde Towne
a tenemant in the Ould Towne
a certaine tenement called Couperhau:
in Catton a tenement
a tenement
a tenement in Catton
a tenement with the appurtenances ..
a tenement with certaine landes
a tenement
two tenementes
a tenement with the appurtenances ..
a tenement cum pertinenciis
a certaine tenement
Stoniestile
one tenement
a tenement in Ridinghill
a tenement in Ridinghill
a tenement in Ridinghill
Busshopsfild
Akedowne
the Crossehouse ...
Piatroone
ghe
Yearly Rent.
£ s. d.
030
Yearly Value
above Rent.
£ s. d.
0 16 8
0
8
4
2
10
0
0
2
0
0
13
4
0
■y
0
0
13
4
0
-7
0
0
13
4
0
'7
6
0
'5
0
0
4
Si
I
4
0
0
4
■A
I
4
0
0
4
si
I
4
0
0
8
9
2
10
0
0
7
2
2
0
0
0
7
6
-
0
0
0
19
0
5
10
0
0
7
7
2
0
0
0
3
9
I
0
0
0
I
8
0
10
0
0
4
7
I
0
0
0
4
0
I
0
0
0
3
4
I
0
0
0
I
7i
0
10
0
0
I
.^1
/2
0
10
0
0
14
0
3
10
0
0
5
I
I
10
0
0
6
3
I
16
8
0
14
0
3
10
0
SURVEY OF HKXHAM MANOR.
89
Tenant.
Jolin Mauglian
Thomas Cotforth ..
Matthew Bee
Thomas Hewatson ..
Cuthbert Hawdon ..
Cuthbeite Hawdon..
Thomas Hewatson ..
Leonardo Sheele
John Francis
Jenkyn Stoute
James Rutledge
Iloldinj;.
Ncthcroiislye
Hilhouse...
Cookeshowses
Stonyhi'l...
a tenement bclonginj^c to Catton
a tenement at Catton Lee ...
Houstie ...
)5rigeale ...
a tenement in the Oulde Towne
a tenement in Oulde Towne
a tenement in the Ould Towne
Checquer rentes.
Edwarde Tengate houldeth ther a tenement in Ouslie by coppie of courtroll to him his
assignes, according to the custome, and paith yeerlie rent 4s.
Valor annualis ultra redditum, ^l 4s.
Holding.
a tenement in Ouslie
the one haulfe of the Holmes mil
Yearly Rent.
i s. d.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
i s. d.
0 0
4
0
3
4
0 3
0 8
5
0
I
0
6
0
8
0 I
4
0
10
0
0 0
4
0
3
4
0 15
0
3
15
0
I 0
0
5
0
0
0 3
0
1
0
0
0 5
0 4
4
8
I
13
8
4
0
0 14
0
3
10
0
ill to h
ini his
lieiies and
Yearly Rent.
i s. d.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
£ s. d.
0 5
0
I
10
0
0 0
10
0
10
0
0 0
10
0
10
0
0 0
8
0
13
4
Tenant.
John Madgson
John Sheele
Edwarde Tengate and Jane,
his wife ... ... ... the other haulfe of the Holmes mill ...
John Hucheson ... ... a certaine mill called Acton mill
Some totall of the yeerly rent of Catton, ^11 gs. lod.
Some totall of the yeerlye values of the coppiholdes of Catton aboue the yeerlie rent ys ^64
COPPIHOLDERS.
Keanly GREAVSHIP, parcell of He.xham regalitie :
John Faraler houldeth ther a tenement called the Nuke by coppie of courtro
assignes, accordinge to the custome, etc. And paieth yeerly rent, 12s. 4d.
Valor annualis ultra redditum, ^3.
7s. 4d.
Tenant.
Jenkyn Blacklocke ...
John Richeson
Hugh Hucheson
Thomas Sparke
Richarde Stoute
Cuthbert Sparke
Matthew Bee
Lawrence Wilkynson
John Bradwood
Thomas Wilson
Roberte Pierson
Leonarde Wilson ...
John Heslopp
MichacU Wilkynson
Leonarde Wilson ...
Roberte Richeson ...
John Heslopp
Vol. in,
Holding,
a certaine tenement called the Harlay banke...
Westside
Essheybanke
the Burnelaw
the Burnelaw hill ...
Huntergap
the Hunteroake ...
a tenement with certaine lande
Hindlywrea
Hindly hill
Wydele ...
the Okepoole
Frostes hall
the halfe of a tenement called the Chappelhouse
the other haulfe of the Chappel house
Keanly peath
a tenement beinge parcell also of Keanlie peath
ill to h
im his
heires and
Yearly V
alue
Yearly Rent.
a-bove Rent.
£ s
d.
£
s.
d.
0 6
0
■■>
0
0
0 4
10
I
4
0
0 8
6
2
0
0
0 13
4
3
6
8
0 2
I
0
12
0
0 0
8
0
6
0
0 2
I
0
16
0
0 4
-r
I
0
0
0 17
7
4
0
0
0 '3
7
3
6
8
0 7
6
I
15
0
0 4
0
I
0
0
0 12
0
3
0
0
0 6
I
1
13
4
0 5
9
1
10
0
0 3
6
I
0
0
0 I
8
0
12
10
0
go
Tenant.
Thomas Hutchcson
Hughe Hiichcson ...
George Winter
WiUiam Ridley
Idem
Rowlande Wilson ...
Christopher Ridley and Lionel!
Ridley ...
John French
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Holding.
Burnetongues
wherof he paieth to the grave of Keanly
„ collector of Westall-
went ...
„ grave of Catton
Haiiksteale
a tenement called H.i^kstcalc-, parrell of the
abouesaide
Hollingreene
Heylees ...
Sparkes loning
Yearly Value
Yea
riy
Rent.
abo
ve Rent.
I
S
d.
i
s.
d.
O
i8
4
o
7
4
•
o
lO
o
o
I
o
5
O
O
o
o
o
o
'3
4
o
2
o
o
13
4
o
2
6
o
i6
o
o
2
o
o
12
o
o
O
3
o
I
8
tlic Little Heylees ... ... ...026 o 13 4
a parcel] of grounde called the Highcfielde,
belonginge to the house of the water-
meetinges ... ... ... ...010 068
Some total] of the yeerlye rent of Keenly grcushipp, £"] i6s. 3d.
Some totall of the cicere yeerlye values of the coppiholde landcs of Kcanlyc greavshipp aboue the oulde
rent, £dfi i6s.
Copyholders.
HF-XHAMSHU-ie, parcel] of Hexham regalitie :
Roberte Redshawe houldeth certaine landes by coppie of courtroU to him his heires and assignes
accordinge to the custome, etc., and paieth yeerlie rent, 9s. Valor annualis vltra redditum, £7. los.
Yearly Value
Yearly Rent.
Tenant.
Rowlande Nicholson
John Ogle and his wife Francis
Ogle
Idem
John Ogle...
William Dixon
William Chester
John Hucheson
William Ridley of Willemcnt
Weeke, esquire ...
George Ourde
James Dixon
George Ourde
Gawin Swingborne ...
Idem
Edwarde EiTington
Holding. £
a tenement and the appurtenances ... ... o
a tenement with certaine landes ... ... o
a mill called Whitley mill and a close thcrto
belonginge ... ... ... ... i
a certaine messuage called the Neather Mire-
house ... ... ... ... ... o
a certaine tenement called the Hilhouse ... o
a certain tenement called a Quarter of the Hill o
certaine lande beinge the one thirde parte of
the Mailer Steedes ... ... ... o
Harwood Sheel ...
the Longlez
a tenement called the Holmes with thappur-
tenances
certaine land called the Gleandysheele
certaine land beinge the one haulfe of Lills-
wood ...
a certaine peece of lande called the Loninges...
the thirde parte of Eastergrindredge, the thirde
parte of Easte and West Newbiggin, the
thirde parte of Over Ardley, with other
landes and burgages in the towne of Hexham i 17
above Rent.
i s. d.
I 4 O
I 4 O
13
4
10
0
16
0
6 8
0
12
0
3
0
0
0
16
0
3
ID
0
0
8
8
I
16
8
0
I
0
0
6
0
0
6
0
2
0
0
0
0
8
0
5
0
SURVEY OF HKXHAM MANOR.
91
Tenant,
(jcorge Ourcle
John Ourde
Richaide Thurlewall
Rirhardc Thurlewall
Idem
Idem
Jane Errington
John Thirlewall in the right of
his wife ...
Thomas Humble
George Ogle
Lancelot! Armstronge
Robert Armstronge
Charles Armstronge and
Richarde Ridley ..
William Rowlande ..
Roberte Warde
Roberte Warde
Edwarde Armstronge
Idem
Elisabeth Liddell
Edwarde Ourde
Reynarde Gibson
John Ridley, of Costley, gentle
Holding.
certainc landes, viz. : a tenement called the
Stonchouse, a teneincnt called the Whitehall,
and another tenement called Litteredge
the Scottfoukles ...
the two thirde partes of Eastergrindredge
certaine lande, viz.: two thirde partes of East
and West Newbiggin, and the two thirde
partes of a water corne mill called Newbiggin
mill ...
Cockes house
certaine landes and burgages
certaine landes called Neather Ardley, the one
haulfe of yt with other landes ther
a parcell of Neather Ardley cum aliis
the milhouse
a certaine tenement called the Winter house,
and another tenement called the Eshills
haulfe a tenement called Ourdlaye hall
one quarter of a tenement called Ourdlaye hall
the other quarter of Ourdlay hall
certaine land beinge a quarter of the Hill
Over-Ourdley
the Neather Rawgreene
the Turfehouse
Lillswood
Lillsworth parke ...
the Woodside
certaine lande
certaine landes, viz.: a demayne called Costley,
with the members and appurtenances therof ;
a water corne mill ; a tenement called Hack-
forde, with the members therof; a tenement
called Bagerey, with the appurtenances ;
a tenement called Longhope, with the appur-
tenances ; and a tenement called Snape, with
the members therof, all lyinge in Costley
houpe, and 7 burgages in He.xham called
Costleyrawe, a burgage in St. Marie Chaire,
a burgage in Pristpople, a close called the
Boutstone leases, withe certaine lande lyinge
in the Eastfieldes of He.xham, and certaine
lande lyinge in the west fieldes of Hexham,
and a close called the Feim
Yearly Value
Yearly Rent.
aboVL- Kent.
£ s. .).
C s. <i.
0106
300
0 10 0
2 13 4
I I 4
500
8 10
1200
1 o o
2 5 o
0
8
10
2
5
0
0
0
8
0
6
8
I
2
6
5
0
0
0
13
4
4
0
0
0
6
8
-
0
0
0
6
8
2
0
0
0
-)
8
0
■3
4
0
14
8
3
0
0
0
12
0
T
13
4
0
0
4
0
3
4
0
6
0
->
0
0
0
6
0
T
0
0
0
9
10
->
13
4
0
7
->
-)
0
0
40 o
Some totall of the yeerlie rent of Hexhamshire, the coppiholde landes ther, ^23 19s. id.
Some totall of the cleere yeerlye values of the coppiholde lande in Hexamshire aboue the oulde rente
amounteth vnto £1^^.
92
HEXHAMSHIRE.
COPJHOUI.DERS.
Hkxham towne, parcell of lieNliam icgalitie :
Tcn.iiif.
Robcrte Johiiion
William Lange
William Bell
George Liddell
Hector Liddell
John Bell ...
William Heron, tanner
Ctithberte Bell
Thomas Noble
Robert Ell wood
Richarde Gibson
Richarde Elison
John Chicken
George Ourde
William Liddell ...
Thomas Gibson
William Younger ...
Anthony Woodman
George .Stocoe
William Littleskill ...
Martin Smith
Roger Smithe
John Crosire
George Thompson ...
Thomas Browne
Thomas Cunningliam
Thomas Liddell
George Spurnston ...
Jane Smithe
John Sparte
Cuthberte Stocoe ...
William Smith
Andrew Yealderte ...
Pierciuall Armstronge
George Ourde
Richarde Gibson
Robert Humble
John Oliuer
Richarde Smithe
Edvvarde Hirste
Roberte EUrington ...
John Robson
Edmunde Oliuer
George Heslopp
Cuthberte Winter ...
Reynolde Thomson
John Hucheson
Holding.
a small parcell of lande
a small spott of lande
a parcell of lande ...
a small parcell of lande
a small parcel! of lande
certaine lande
certaine lande
a burgage with the apjHirtenances ...
certaine lande
a tenement
certaine lande
a tenement and certaine lande
certaine land
certaine lande
certaine lande
certaine landes
certaine lande
a tenement and certaine lande therto
a certaine small peece of lande
a messuage with certaine lande
a small parcell of lande
certaine lande
certaine burgage and lande
certaine lande
a tenement and a small parcell of lande
a small parcell of lande
a messuage and certaine lande therto
a messuage with certaine lande therto belong
inge ...
certaine lande
a messuage with the appurtenances ...
a tenement with the appurtenances ...
certaine lande
certaine lande
certaine lande
certaine lande
a tenement and the appurtenances ...
a small peece of lande
a tenement and certaine land
a small parcell of lande
a small parcell of land
a messuage with the appurtenances ...
a messuage with the appurtenances ...
certaine lande
a tenement with the appurtenances ...
certaine landes
a burgage
a small peece of lande
Yearly Value
Yearly Rent.
above Rent
f.
s.
d.
£
s d.
O
o
lO
o
5 o
o
o
2
o
I 8
o
I
9
o
12 O
o
o
6
o
3 4
o
o
6
o
3 4
o
o
3
o
I 8
o
2
2i
o
'3 4
o
o
6
o
3 4
o
I
4i
o
lO o
o
o
5
o
2 6
o
I
3
o
8 o
o
3
2
I
o o
o
I
5
o
lO o
o
o
lO
o
6 o
o
o
6
o
3 4
o
o
8i
o
4 o
o
I
o
o
6 8
o
3
li
o
i6 8
o
o
■7
o
I 8
o
I
oi
0
lO o
o
o
3
o
I 6
o
o
I
0
I o
o
I
'i
o
lO o
o
o
3
o
I 8
o
o
I I
o
6 o
o
o
6
o
3 4
o
4
Q
I
4 o
o
3
4
,
0 o
o
o
3
o
I 8
o
3
3
I
o o
o
7
6
2
o o
o
I
I
o
8 o
o
1
oh
o
6 8
o
I
2
o
6 8
o
o
6
o
3 4
o
3
2
I
o o
0
o
1
o
I o
o
3
lO
I
o o
o
o
9
o
5 o
o
o
4
o
2 6
o
->
3
o
13 4
o
4
5
I
o o
o
I
o
o
6 8
o
4
4
I
o o
o
o
9
o
5 o
o
o
5
o
2 6
o
o
5
0
2 6
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
93
Ten.int.
William Sowelbye ...
George Henderson...
John Errington
Thomas Fenwicke ...
Matthew Sowerbye...
Matie Lichman
Thomas Leaclbeater,webster...
Lawrence Sowelbye
William Leadbeater, tanner ...
Richard Leadwood...
Matthew Cragge ...
Thomas Gibson
William Armstronge
Robert Jefferson
Richard Carre
Edithe Guide
Roger Walker
George Kella
Roberte Adon
Matthew Gibson
Roberte Kirsop
Thomas Kirsop
Thomas Wanles and Edithe
his wife ...
Margarett Gibson ...
John Hirste
George Thompson ...
Phillipp Thurlewall...
Richarde Cawarde ...
John Heron
Richarde Harrison ...
John Craggell
John Lowes
John Cooke
John Erlington
Nicholas Craine of Crawhall,
gentleman
William Kirsopp
Roberte Yealderte ...
Roberte Winter
Thomas Sparke
William Sparke
Arthine Sparke
Holding,
a small parccll of lande
ccrtainc lande
one acre of lande ...
one acre of lande and a halfe
two acres and a halfe of lande
a Ijarne in the hall garlhc with the appurten-
ances
certaine lande
two small parcells of lande...
certaine land
a burgage in Hcncottcs and groundes therto
belonginge
a house in Hencottes and lande therto
belonginge
certaine small parcells of lande by seuerall
coppies of courtroll
a tenement and certaine lande
certaine landes
certaine landes and burgages
certaine landes
one acre of land ...
certaine landes
certaine land
certaine landes
certaine land
certaine lande
a certaine tenement and the appurtenances ...
certaine lande
a small spott of land
certaine lande
a messuage and certaine lande
a roode of lande ...
a tenement
certaine lande
a small peece of lande
certaine land
certaine land
a certaine burgage
certaine landes and burgages
a corne mill
a burgage with the appurtenances ...
certaine land
certaine landes
certaine lande
certaine land
Yearly Rent.
i s. d.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
i s. d.
o o
2
o
I 8
o o
9J
o
5 o
O 2
o
o
12 O
O O
9
o
5 o
O I
oi
o
5 o
o o
2
o
I 8
O I
3
o
6 8
o o
3
o
2 O
o o
8
o
4 o
o 6 8
o
o
6i
0
3
4
o
6
1 1
I
'3
4
o
lO
o
2
13
4
o
3
3*
O
13
4
o
5
lo
I
6
8
o
o
2i
o
2
0
o
4
6
I
4
0
o
2
3
o
12
0
o
o
4
o
2
8
o
I
7i
o
lO
0
o
o
9i
o
5
0
o
2
6
o
13
4
o
-t
o
o
10
0
o
o
1
o
I
0
o
I
oV
o
6
8
o
4
4
I
0
0
o
o
O
o
I
4
o
o
II
o
6
8
o
o
6
o
5
0
o
o
I
o
I
0
o
2
o
o
10
0
o
o
2
o
I
S
o
o
8
o
4
6
I
17
o
6
10
0
o
o
6
o
3
4
o
o
5
o
->
6
o
3
9
o
13
4
o
o
5
o
o
6
o
o
7
o
3
0
o
o
5
o
n
0
Some totall of the yeerlye rent of the coppiholde lande in He.\ham towne, ^8 8s. 5d.
Some totall of the cleere yeerlie values of the coppiholde within Hexham towne ys £i,^ :
4S.
94
HEXHAMSHIKE.
Leasers.'
Hexham IOWNE, parcell of Hexham regalitie :
Elizabeth Gibson, widdowe, houldeth ther tolles of faires and markettes ther late in the
collection of Jeffeiay Parkinson or his assignes, by letters patents graunted to Edward
Gibson for xxj"" yeeres, dated v'" Julii, anno regni reginc Elizabethe xxxiiij'", and payeth ...
Valor annualis vltra redditmn, ^4.
Phillipp Thurlewall houldeth ther a tenement called Yokesley alias Nobuck now in the
occupacion of Gilbert Carnabie, by nieane conveyaunce out of letters patents graunted to
Mr. John Warde of Bushopsmidlam, dated xxvj'" Maii, anno regni regine Elizabethe
xxxviij° for xxj"' yeeres, and payeth yeerely rent
Valor annualis vltra redditum, £2 los.
Idem houldeth ther the Pais now in the occupacion of John Stocoe by meane convey-
ance out of letters patents graunted to John Warde, dated xxvj'° Maii, anno regni regine
Elizabeth xxxviij° for .xxj"" yeres, and payeth yeerely rent
Valor annualis vltra redditum, 15s.
Edward Armstrang houldeth the other halfe of the Pais late in the occupacion of t
Arnistrange, his father, by meane conveyance out of letters patents graunted to John Warde,
dated xxvj'" Maii, anno regni regine Elizabeth xxxviij", for xxj""^ yeeres, and payeth yeerely
rent
Valor annualis vltra redditum, 15s.
Tenant.
Raphe Errington ...
Rowland Humble ...
Particulars : one house and a
8 acres ; meadowe ground, 4
stinte.
William Roule
Edward Di.xon
Rinyon Foster, Thomas Row-
lande, and Mathew Foster...
William Chester, Nicholas
Stocoe, Edmunde Robinson,
and Fortune Rutledge
Sir John Fenwick, knight
Idem
Yearly Rent.
Holding. £ s. d.
a tenement called Harwoodsheles, late in the
occupacion of Lanclott Armstrange ... o 12 o
a tenement called the Hill, late in the occupa-
cion of Thomas Humble, his father ...028
suiithie ; 2 barnes and a garth ; arable land,
acres ; common on Dipton on both sides without
Hole bowse, late in the occupacion of William
Rowle, his father ... ... ...050
the Stobbeley, late in the occupacion of Bar-
tholomew Dixon, his father ... ... o 12 o
the Overeisheeles, late in the occupation of t on o
4 4
certaine toftes and crofts within the seale of
He.xham, late in the tenure of Sir John Foster 032
all those lands and tenements called Proctor's
lands, alias Shaftoe's lease, late in the tenure
of Sir John Foster ... ... ...080
Idem houldeth ther one close called the hall orcharde, containing 7 acres, late in the
occcupacion of Sir John Foster, by letters patents graunted to John Warde, dated xxvj'"
Maii, anno regni regine Elizabeth xx.xviij°, but noe conveyance made as yett, and payeth
yeerely rent for the same ...
Valor annualis vltra redditum, £2.
£ s. d.
'3 4
050
Yearly Value
above Rent.
i s. d.
I 4 o
268
068
o 13 4
Yearly Rent.
I s. d.
' Each leasehold in this list, e.xcept the two last (' the hall orcharde ' and ' the mill haughe '), is held
'by meane conveyance out of letters patents granted to John Ward dated xxvj° Maii, anno regni regine
Elizabeth xxxviij", for xxj'''' yeeres.' f Blank in MS.
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
95
Yearly Rent.
Thomas Caniabie houkleth ihcr a tenement called the Hermitage, late m the tenure
of Christopher Charnaby, by letters patents graunted.'
Sir John Fenwicke, knight, houkleth ther ccrtaine demeane landes called the Mill
Haughe, alias Hall Flatt, containing by estimation 32 acres, per annum £■}, 4s., and certaine
landes and meadowe called the Kinge's Haughe, by estimation 14 acres, per annum
^i 6s. 8d., and certaine landes and meadowe called the Widehaugh, containing by estima-
tion IS acres, per annum ^i los., by meane conveyance out of letters patentes graunted to
Sir Robert Carie, knight, dated 30 Januarii, anno yj Elizabeth, etc., for 21 yccres, in toto
per annum
Valor annualis vltra redditum, ^20.
Some totall of the leasholders ther, ^15 12s. 2d.
Some totall of the cleere yeerlie value aboue the oulde rente, ^38 15s.
8d.
COPI HOLDERS.
EastaLWENTDALE GREAVSHIP, parcell of Hexham regalilie :
Tenant.
Nicholas Sheele
Idem
John Robinson
Richarde Renwicke
John Sheele
John Huchinson
Thomas Williamson
Cuthbert Hawdon ...
Nicholas Sheele of the Woye
Lionell Hucheson ...
Cuthberte Rowie
Matthew Whitfield ...
George Rowle
George Heathrington
William Rowle
Cuthberte Rowle
Hugh Dawson
Thomas Williamson
Idem
Hughe Hucheson ...
William Hucheson ...
Mabell Sparke
Thomas Robinson ...
Holdins;.
one tenement with certaine landc thcrto
belonginge called Woye ...
a tenement called Skell
one tenement with certaine lande called
Buttershell
a tenement called the Hagge
two tenements called the Holmes and the
New Sheele
a certaine close called the Hollinclose and the
greenc dike
the one haulfe of a tenement called Sluddingc
the other haulfe of the Studdinge
a water corne mill called the kinge's mill
the Hagburneyeat
Peckridinge
a tenement called Hollinclose
W'oodhead
Whithill...
a small parcell of lande
another small parcell of land
The Forest of Eastalwentpale.
a tenement called Garrattes hill
and for common ther
a tenement with certaine land called Harracke
and for his common ther ...
a tenement called Garrattes hill
and for his common there ...
Syndrop, and for common of pasture ther,
in toto...
Sindropsheel, and for the common ...
Brodgatehed, and for common of pasture ther
Shiptonsheel, and for common of pasture ther
'eai
riy Rent,
s. d.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
(. s. d.
1
I
>4
6
8
8
ID
5
0 0
13 4
I
6
0
6
0 0
0
14
0
3
0 0
I 18
0
15
8
3
6
8
I
I
5
5
0
0
I
3
0
5
0
0
3
6
8
10
0
0
0
0
0
0
13
4
0
10
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
0
13
4
0
I
4
0
10
0
0
2
4
0
13
4
0
0
6
0
3
4
0
0
6
0
3
4
0
->
0
0
0
7
0
16
8
0
7
0
0
I
7
-»
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
7
'
0
0
0
8
3
2
0
0
0
4
li
I
4
0
0
4
1*
1
4
0
0
8
0
2
0
0
Crossed off. By the entry is written 'This parcell is entred in fol. 75.'
96
Tenant.
Thomas Williamson
Thomas Stoute
Henrye Robinson ...
Christopher Carro ...
George Carro
Cuthberte Haudon ..
Thomas Burdus
George Burdus
Cuthbcrt Hawdon ..
Thomas Todd
Matthew ISee
John Featherston ...
Thomas Steuenson...
William Rcddome ...
William Younger
John Stoute
William Younger ..
Thomas Williamson
Matthew Pattison ..
John Stubbes
George Dawson
Henrie Faraler
William Robinson ...
5 3
1 6
2 3
I I
0 8
4 o
1 lO
3 6
1 1 1
o 6
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Yearly Rent.
Holding. i s. A.
Tedsam ... ... — ... ... o i ii
and for the common of pasture ... ... o i 2
Spartlee ... ... ... ... ...050
and for his common of pasture ... ...020
a tenement called Nctherclsopp and the Water-
house ... .. ••• ... ... o
and for his common of pasture ... ... o
EUersope ... ... ... •■• o
and for his common of pasture ... ... o
Ellcrsopegrecne, and for common ... .,. o
Whithill ... ... ... ... ... o
and for his common of pasture ther ... ... o
Peasemeddowes ... ... ... ... o
and for common of pasture... ... ... o
Ray vp haugh, and for common ... ... o
half a tenement called Dirtpotshccle, and for
cominon of pasture ... ... ... o i 6|
the other haulfe of Dirtpotsheele, and for
common ... ... ... ... o i 6|
two tenements called Redburneshcll and
Rakkeshell ... ... ... ... o
and for common of pasture ... ... o
Medlopgreenes ... ... ... ... o
and for his common of pasture ... ... o
Medlopgreenes ... ... ... ... o
and for the common of pasture ... ... o
Stripshell ... ... ... ••• o
and for the common of pasture ... ... o
Scottes meadowes ... ... ... o
and paieth for common ... ... ... o
Huntwell ... ... ... ... o
and for the common ther ... ... ... o
two tenementes called Overcattonhill and
Neather Cattonhill ... ... ... o
and for the common ther ... ... ... o
Whiterigshell ... ... ... ... o
and for common of pasture... ... ... o
Harrake... ... ... .-. •■• o
and for common of pasture... ... ...022
haulfe a tenement called Halfamegreene, and
for common ... ... ... ...026
the other haulfe of Halfamegreene, and for his
common ... ... ... ...026
the two thirde partes of a tenement called the
blacke Cleugh ... ... ... ...020
and for his common of pasture ... ... o i 2i
the one thirde parte of a tenement called the
blacke Cleugh ... ... ... ...010
and for his common of pasture ... ...007
7 o
2 2
I 4
0 lOj
2 9
1 Ili
2 O
1 6i
4 7
2 o
4 6
2 o
7 o
2 o
3 4
I 4
5 o
Yearly Value
above Rent,
I s. d.
I 16 8
I o o
050
I 6 8
034
2 13 4
0 16 8
1 4 o
I 10 o
268
I 3 4
I 16 4
o 13 4
o 13 4
o 15 o
086
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
97
Holdine;.
Overswinnopshell ...
and for his common of pasture
Swinnopshell
and for the common thcr ...
Broomeknott
and for the common of pasture
Knockburne
the Rowndetreestob
Overacton
and for the common of pasture
and for another parcell of Overacton
Neatheracton
and for his common of pasture
Overhuntrood
and for his comm.on of pasture
Neatherhuntrood ...
and paieth for common of pasture ...
haulfe of a tenement called the Dryeside
and for the common of pasture
the other haulfe of Dryeside
and for the common of pasture
Whithill bogge ...
Walde ... ... ...
Owsledalles
Enstlegreenes
certaine groundes called Studdermcadowes
and Berkifield ...
one Walkemill standinge in the Burnefootc,
commonlye called the Walkemill ...
a Watercornemill, but at present noughte
worthe by reason the water is turned from yt
by Hughe Sheele out of the ould race
The tenantes and occupiers of the groves or mines of leade houlde the same by
lease expired accordinge to the custome as they nowe claime it, and pay
yeerly rent ...
Some totall of the coppiholde rents within Eastalwentdale, ^26 6s. 4d.
Some totall of the cleere yeerly value therof aboue the old rente is ^128 5s. iid
The rent of the grooves of lead ther is £1 6s. 8d.
The cleere yeerlie value therof, £2 3s. 4d.
Tenant.
Christopher Bee
Henry Sheele
William Farraler ...
Christopher Rood ...
Margarett Rowle ...
Christopher Roddam
John Hucheson
Leonard Sheele
John Hucheson
Matthew Roddam ...
Hugh Hucheson
Richarde Pierson ...
William Hucheson ...
Matthew Bee
Edwarde Tj'ngate, clerke
William Wallis
Hugh Sheele
Cuthbert Hawdon ...
Yearly
£ s.
Rent.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
£ s, <i.
0 4
0
0 I
4
I
10 0
0 10
0
0 2
0
3
10 0
0 7
2
0 2
6
0
6 8
0 3
4
0
16 8
0 3
4
I
0 0
0 II
8
0 2
6
0 I
0
4
0 0
0 1 1
6
0 2
6
3
10 0
0 5
0
0 I
3
I
13 4
0 5
0
0 I
6
I
15 0
0 2
9
0 0
8
I
0 0
0 2
9
0 0
8
I
0 0
0 I
0
0
8 0
.0 I
4
0
10 0
0 3
4
I
0 0
0 4
0
I
5 0
5
I 6 8
Coppihold rent
Groove rent
£
s.
d.
26
06
04
01
06
08
Value above
the ould Rent.
£ s- d-
128 05 II
2 03 4
o 13 4
234
27 13 00 ... 130 09 3
NiNEBANKES GREAVSHIP CUM Westalwentdale, parcell of Hexham regalitie :
Matthew Bee, gentleman, houldeth ther by coppie of courtroll to him his heires and
assignes, accordinge to the custome, etc., all these seuerall tenementes vnder these seuerall
rentes, and paieth yeerlie for the whole ... ... ... ... ... ... g 16
Vol. III. 13
98
HEXHAMSHIRE.
Hold
The demeasne
ng-
and
water
Yearly Rent.
i s. d.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
I s. d.
Holding.
Whittle sheele ...
Yearly Rent.
I s. d.
...063
Yearly Value
above Rent.
i s. d.
I 10 0
corne mill of Ninebankcs
2
i6
lO
13
6
8
The Dikenewke ...
... 0
I
5
0
8 0
The Esshes
The Whamland
es
O
O
17
5
5
o
4
o
lO
o
o
Karsheele
Smaileborncs
... 0
... 0
4
7
6
8
2
6 8
3 4
Middlescott
Veathowse
o
o
I
4
8
8
o
lO
6
o
8
Farnesheeles
Harslawe
... 0
... 0
3
7
4
4
I
2
0 0
0 0
Britten peth
Birkhott
Drye borne
o
o
o
J
3
4
8
8
6
I
I
o
o
6
o
o
8
The Newke
Brodley
The Middle
... 0
... 0
... 0
6
5
6
4
7
8
I
I
2
15 0
10 0
0 0
Cheirheards
o
2
6
o
lO
o
Heslewells
... 0
13
10
3
10 0
Spartiwell
Baitshill
Farneside
0
o
o
2
2
6
5
4
7
o
o
12
I ''
i6
o
o
8
Appletree sheele...
Mouphead
Lighte sheele
... 0
... 0
... 0
2
3
2
0
I
0
0
0
0
13 0
18 0
13 4
Giercotes
Wolfe Cleugh
o
o
4
5
2
lO
I
I
4
lO
o
o
The moitye of Moupe
The Whitstone ...
... 0
... 0
0
II
0
0
16 8
12 0
Some totall of the values aboue the old rent, ^51 os. 8d.
Totus valor annualis vltra redditum omnium tenementorum in tenura Matthei Bee, patet.
Copyholders.
Weastalwentd.\LE cum NlNEBANKES, parcell of Hexham regalitie:
Tenant.
William Kinleyside...
Mr. Francis Whitfielde
Elizabeth Stocoe...
Christopher Baitsoti
William Bee
Idem
Marmaduke Baitson
George Phillipson ..
William Stoute
George Whitfielde ..
Matthew Frawler .
William Lee
John Jackson
William Stubbes
Nicholas Robinson.,
Lawrence Wilkenson
James Wilkenson ..
William Moore
Agnes Harrison
Thomas Owston
Francis Whitfielde ..
and
Holding.
a tenement called Kinleyside hill
a tenement called Corry hill ... ... o
Greenlaw ... ... ... ... o
Tailerborne ... ... ... ... o
the nioitie of a tenement called Woodmosse
walles ... ... ... ... ... o
the other haulfe of the Woodmosse ... ... o
Neather Limstonbrey ... ... ... o
Ouer Limstonbrey ... ... ... o
Turner sheele ... ... ... ... o
Hartecleugh ... ... ... ... o
Whittle sheele ... ... ... ... o
Blackecleugh ... ... ... ... o
Westerbradley ... ... ... ... o
Bradley ... ... ... ... ... o
the moitie of a tenement called Moupe ... o
Reddheugh ... ... ... ••• o
Furnes house ... ... ... ... o
a tenement called the Kirsleywell ... ... o
Kersleyrawe ... ... ... ... o
Hartopley ... ... ... ••• i
Yearly Rent.
i s. d.
o I-, 8
6
5
o
o
o
6
8
o
4
I
4
I
I
8
5
o
o
1 1
Yearly Value
above Rent.
i s. d.
400
o 15 O
O 18 O
200
Some totall of the yeerlye rente of coppihold lande in Westallwentdale, etc., /16 2s.
Some totall of the cleere ycerlie value of the coppihold landes in Westallwentdale, with the
of Ninebankes aboue the ould rente, ^84 17s. 8d.
o 18
0 18
1 13
I o
I 10
I 15
I 15
° 13
I 16
1 15
0 12
2 10
1 O
2 5
I 13
4 10
2d.
;;reaushipp
SURVEY OF HKXHAM MANOR.
99
COI'PlHOLUJiKS IN WaI.I,.
Wall gkeavsiiip, parcell of Hexham legallitie :
Tenant.
George Kell
Edwarde Kell of the Hill ..
Edwarde Kell of the Staire ..
Thomas Storye
George Kell
Edwarde Kell
William Lee
John Gibson
Rowland Kell
Heires of Thomas Yealderte.,
George Kell of the Hall pooll.
Idem
Some totall
Some totall of the cleere
Holding.
ccrtaine lande
. certaine lande
. a messuage and the lande therto bclonginge .
a messuage with the appurtenances ...
. ccrtaine lande in the Chairehead
a messuage with the appurtenances ...
. certaine landes in Wall and a tenement
. a small tenement ...
. a tenement
. certaine lande
. a certaine water corne mill...
a small parcell of lande
of the yeerlie rent of the coppiholders of Wall, £6 14s. J<\.
yeerly values of the coppihold landes in Wall aboue the rent, £iq
Yearly Rem.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
C 5. d.
... 0
14
2
I
10 0
... 0
3
4
0
10 0
... I
I
0
^
5 0
... 0
14
6
I
10 0
.. 0
4
0
0
12 6
... 0
"5
9
I
16 8
... I
6
3
3
0 0
... 0
5
3
0
15 0
... 0
18
5
I
15 0
... 0
I
5
0
5 0
... 0
10
0
5
0 0
... 0
0
6
0
2 6
s. 8d.
Customary tenantes and checquer rentes.
Wall CREAVSHIP, parcell of Hexham regalitie :
George Kell of the Hallpoole houldeth ther a tenement with thappurtenances by
claime of ancient custome and tenantright to him his heires and assignes for euer et reddit
per annum
Valor annualis vltra redditum, £2 53.
Tenant.
Edwarde Errington
Idem
The heires of Thomas Yealdert
Edwarde Kell of the Hill ...
John Gibson
Gerrarde Kell
Edwarde Dawson ...
Idem
George Kell of theChaireheade
Edwarde Kell of the Chaire ...
Agnes Robinson
Theires of Richarde Arm-
stronge ...
Margarett Cleugh ...
Jane the wife of William
Robinson, daughter and
heire of Rowlande Dawson
Holding.
with certaine
landes ther
a tenement
belonginge
another tenement with the appurtenances
a messuage and certaine lande
a tenement with certaine lande
a small parcell of lande
a messuage and the lande therto belonginge
a tenement and certaine lande
certaine landes
a messuage and the lande therto belonginge
certaine lande
certaine lande
certaine lande
a certaine tenement
Yea
ly V
alue
Yea
rly
Rent.
above Rent.
£
s.
d.
£
s.
d.
rto
... I
I
0
2
6
8
... 0
II
1
I
6
8
... 0
14
0
I
'3
4
... 0
5
8
0
16
8
... 0
I
I
0
3
6
... I
I
0
2
5
0
... 0
14
0
I
3
4
... I
I
0
->
5
0
... 0
10
6
I
6
8
... 0
5
3
0
15
0
... 0
6
6
I
0
0
... 0
5
3
0
'5
0
... 0
5
3
0
15
o 15 9
certaine lande
Some totall of the yeerlie rents of the customarye and checquer lands, ^8 iSs. 5d.
Some of the coppiholde rente as aforesaid, £6 14s. yd.
Some totall of the cleere yeerlie values of the customarye lands in Wall with the checker rente
aboue the oulde rente, ^20 13s. 6d.
Some totall of the cleere yeerlie value of the coppiholde land of Wall greveshipp aboue the ould
rent, £\() is. 8d.
16 S
lOO
HEXHAMSHIKE.
COPPIHOLDERS.
ACOMBE GREAVESHIPP, paiCfU of Hexham legalitie :
Holding.
Tenant.
John Lee ...
John Chicken
John Hucheson
Rowlande Smithe ...
Matthew Fenwicke houldeth
ther in the right of Isabell
his wife and Agnes Carnabie
her sister
Richarde Arnistronge
John Armstrongc of the Ijoat-
house
Idem
Roberte Armstronge
Thomas Carnabye ...
Thomas Errington, gentleman
of Buchfife
Raphe Errington of Buckliffe,
gentleman, sonne to Gilberte
Errington of Cocklawe
John Ridley of Slaterfield
William Armstronge
certaine landes
a small parcell of lande
a certaine parcell of lande
a small peece of lande
a certaine tenement
certaine parcell of lande
Yearly Rent.
I s. d.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
f. s. d.
O 5 I
I 0 0
005
020
0 0 10
034
0 0 5i
020
a small parcell of lande
the ferryboat to passe the water of Tyne, called
the Eastbote
certaine lande called Chalmers Close
One acre of lande in Acombe haughe
the haulfe of a certaine tenement with the
appurtenances called Buckliffe
o
o
4
5 6
10
10
16 li
I 13 4
0
16
I*
I 13
4
0
9
4
I 10
0
0
3
4
0 12
8
the other haulfe of Buckliffe
a tenement and certaine lande
a certaine mill called Acombe mill ...
Some totall of the tenantes by coppie in Acombe, £}, us. ijd.
Some totall of the cleere yeerlie values aboue the rent of the coppihold landes in Acombe amounteth to
^10 9s. 8d.
CUSTOM.\RYE TENANTES IN ACOMBE. £ s. d
John Lee houldeth ther a tenement by claime of ancient custome and tenantrighte to
him his heires and assignes for euer, and paieth yeerlie rent for the same ... ...05 c
\'alor annualis vltra redditum, los.
Tenant.
Perciuall Armstronge
Sampson Huchinson
Robert Arnistronge the
younger
Roberte Armstronge thelder...
Robert Spaine
Roberte Huchinson
Thomas Smith
Thomas Lee
John Chicken
Rowlande Rea
George Armstronge
Arthure Lee
Thomas Spaine
Roberte .-\rmstronge sonne to
George Armstronge
Holding,
a messuage withe the appurtenances
a small tenement ...
a tenement with the appurtenances ...
a tenement with certaine lande
a tenement and certaine lande therto belonginge
a tenement with the appurtenances ...
a tenement and the landes therto belonginge..
a tenement and the lande therto belonginge ..
a messuage with the appurtenances
a messuage cum peitinenciis
a tenement
a parcell of lande .. .
a small parcell of lande
a tenement
Yearly Rent.
i s. d.
Y'early Value
above Rent.
i s. d.
. 0 II
3
I
0 0
. 0 2
6
0
6 8
. 0 18
9
2
0 0
. 0 2
9
0
6 8
e 0 10
0
3 4
. 0 15
0
10 0
. 0 15
0
10 0
• 0 15
0
10 0
■ 0 '5
0
ID 0
. 0 10
0
2 6
. 0 7
6
0
15 0
. 0 1
3
0
5 0
. 0 15
0
I
10 0
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
lOI
Tenant.
John Charlton
William Lee
Richaide Lee
Eciwardc Ridley
William Kell
William Smith
Roberte Chicken
Beniamin Woodrington
John Hempsley
Roberte Armstrongc theldcr.
Matthew Armstronge
Richarde Lee
Gerrarde Armstronge
George Heslopp
Nicholas Lee
Roberte Pierson
Michael! Kell
John Chicken
Richarde Armstronge
Holding,
a tenement
a messuage with the appurtenances ...
a tenement with certaine lande thertobelonginge
certaine lande
a tenement and certaine land
a tenement with the appurtenances ...
a tenement with the appurtenances ...
a tenement with certaine lande therto
a tenement with the lande therto belonginge ...
a tenement with the appurtenances ...
a tenement with the landes therto belonginge
certaine lande
a messuage and the appurtenances ...
a messuage and the appurtenances ...
a tenement and certaine landes therto belong-
inge ...
Yearly Rent.
£ s. d.
026
Yearly \'alue
above Rent.
£ s. d.
068
0 15
0
I
10
0
0 10
0
1
4
0
0 2
6
0
6
8
0 12
6
I
6
8
0 10
0
I
I
0
0 17
6
0
0
0
0 16
3
1
0
0
■ 3
0
2
6
8
0 15
0
I
10
0
0 IS
0
I
10
0
0 2
6
0
6
8
I 0
3
2
0
0
0 15
0
I
10
0
0
17
6
2 0
0
0
15
0
I 10
0
0
13
0
I 10
0
0
0
3
0 I
8
a tenement with certaine landes therto belong-
inge ...
a tenement with the appurtenances ...
a tenement and certaine lande
a small parcell of lande
All the tenaunts there claime to houlde ther by ancient custome the herbage of the Akewood for which
they paie yeerlie vnto his majestie, £2.
Valor annualis vltra redditum, £z.
Whereof the towne of .^nwicke paieth yeerlye, 13s. 4d.; the curate of St. John Lees paieth yeerlye, 4s.;
George Armstronge paieth yeerlye, 8d.; Thomas Carnabye of the Hermitage, .3s. 4d.
Yearly Value
Yearly Rent. above Rent.
Tenant. Holding. ;^ s. d. £ s.
The lady Carnaby ... ... a part of the Akewood ... ... ...100 10
Thomas Carnaby of the Her-
mitage ... ... ... a water corne mill latelie erected ... ...034 o 10
Some totall of the cleere yeerlie values of the customarie lande in Acombe amounteth to ^44 gs. 2d.
aboue the olde rent.
Totus redditus cust, ;f22 12s. id.
d.
o
TENANTES BY LE.\SE.
Leasers in AcOMBE GREAVSHIP, in Hexham regalitie :
Thomas Carnabye, gentleman, houldeth a tenement called the Hermitage ther and
two closes, beinge parcell of the Akewood, by vertue of a lease not showen vnto vs, and
paieth yeerlie rent
Valor annualis vltra redditum, £2 13s. 4d.
xviij yeeres to come.
Idem houldeth ther a certaine peece of lande called Gouldye close, the one haulfe
beinge meadowe and thother haulfe arrable lande, by lease not showen vnto vs, paieth
yeerly
Valor annualis vltra redditum, 13s. 4d.
xviij yeeres to come.
Gilbert Errington, esquire, houldeth the colemine of Codden by lease expired, and
paieth yeerlie rent
Valor annualis vltra redditum, los.
£ s. d.
14 8
I02
HEXHAMSHIRE.
William Selbye, gentleman, houldeth ther the townshippe of Hallendon with tha]>
purtcnanccs by lease not showen vnto vs, and paieth yecrlie rent
Valor annualis vltra redditiun, ^24.
xij yeeres to come.
William Shaftoe houldeth in Thockrington certaine demaine landes by an ancient
lease graimted to Cuthbert Shaftoe from the cardinall bearinge date xxix° Septembris
anno ix°, Henrici viii" for Ixxxxix"''" yeeres, with a proviso of discountinge suche yeeres
wherin ther shouldc happen to be warres bewixt the kingdomes of Englande and Scottlande
payeth yeerly £^, wherby all, or moste parte of the landes lie waste, then to pay ^4 per
annum and that yeere not to be counted as parcel] of the lease.
Particular : A dwellinge house with a garthe and outhowscs ; a close called the Hall
close, containing 12 acres meadow; a close called the Battes, containing about 12 acres
arrable ; in the common fieldes of Thockrington, 20 acres pasture; two closes on the west
side of the towne, 10 acres. Total, 54 acres.
Valor annualis vltra redditum, ;{^lo.
Whole rent of these leasehoulders, ^14 2s. 8d.
Some totall of the cleere yeerlie values of the leased lande aboue saide aboue the old
rent, amounteth to the somme oi £'^j i6s. 8d.
copiholders.
Easterrington, Kepwicke, .xnd Heselden :
7 13 4
Tenant.
Isabell Carnabye alias Fen-
wicke and Agnes Carnabye,
her sister, daughters and
heires of John Carnabye ...
Thomas Errington, of the
Hirste, gentleman, and John
Errington
Holding.
Yearly Rent.
i s. d.
Yearly Value
above Rent.
The villages of Est Errington and Kepwicke
cum Kepwicke mill
14 14
53 6 8
... certaine landes with the appurtenances called
Hesselden ... ... ... ... o 15 o 2 10 o
Memorandum : one Rafe Errington, gentleman, sonne of Thomas Errington, gentleman, deceased,
maketh claime vnto this land of Hesselden, and ther for he showeth a late coppie dated xiiij^ Octobris,
anno 1606, et regni Regis Jacobi, etc., quarto, etc., with this clause of salvo jure cuiuscumque.
Some totall of the yeerly rente of Esterrington, Kepwicke, and Heselden, beinge copiholde lande, ^15 gs.
Some totall of the cleere yeerlye valew of the same, aboue the oulde rente, ^55 i6s. 8d.
Fees .\nd Deductions yeerlye paide and issuinge out of this mannor of Hexham. £ s. d,
Roger Woodrington, gentleman, at this present in banishment, is bailiffe ther by patent,
and is allowed yeerly for his fee
Idem is stewarde ther by patent alsoe, and is allowed yeerlie for the fee of the steward-
shippe ...
Richarde Thurlewall is receavor ther by patent, and hathe yeerlie allowed him for his
fee therof somme of
John Littleskill issargeant ther,to arrest, etc., by patent, and hathe yeerlie allowed him fee
Idem is jaylor ther alsoe, by patent, and hathe yeerlie fee allowed him for the same the
somme of
Richarde Parker is clarke of the niannor ther by patent, and hath yeerlie fee allowed him
Idem is forrester ther by patent, and hathe fee ...
Idem is collector of Newlandes and Rowlye warde by patent, and hathe yeerlie fee
allowed him
For two dinners ther is yeerlye allowed vnto the bailiffe the somme of
Somme totall of the fees and yeerlie deductions, ^36 7s. 4d.
6 8
6 13 4
SURVEY OF HEXHAM MANOR.
103
The Generall Conclusion of the Mannor of Hexham,
copiholders.
Ahventon copihokle rentes
Catton copihokle rentes
Keanlye copiholde rentes
Hexhamshire copihokle rentes
Hexhamtovvne copihold
Eastalwendale copihold, etc.
Westalwentdale copihold
Wall copiholde rentes...
Aconibe copihould lentes
Esterrington, Kepwicke, etc.
6
1 1
7
23
8
26
16
6
3
15
Rente,
s.
01
09
16
19
08
06
02
14
II
09
(1.
1 1
10
03
01
05
04
02
07
oii
00
Value aboue the
oulde Rente.
i, s-
40 15
64 07
16
00
14
05
17
01
09
16
40
135
44
128
84
19
10
55
d.
02
04
00
00
00
I I
08
08
08
08
1 26 04 084
Leasehoulders and Custumary Tenants.
Free rentes within the regalitic...
Hexham leasers
Eastalvventdale grooves
Wall custumary tenantes
Acombe custumary tenants
Acombe leaseholde rents
Totall rents
I
s.
d.
n
17
05
'5
12
02
I
06
08
8
18
05
T>
12
01
14
02
08
65
09
05
126
04
o8i
624 04 01
Value aboue the
ould Rente.
£
00
38
s. d.
00 00
15 08
2 03 04
20 13 06
44 09 02
37
16 08
143 18 04
624 04 01
191 14 oii 768 02 05
Per Barth : Haggatt, superuisor.
New Rentes.
Hughe Sheele houldeth ther one watercorne mill, erected within his majesties mannor
of Hexham, for which was never answeared any rent. Valet ...
Idem houldeth ther one other watercorne mill, latelie erected, called the New mill, of
xxxij yeeres standinge or theraboutes, built within his majesties mannor of Hexham, and
neuer paid any rent for the same. Valet per annum ...
John Hucheson houldeth ther one watercorne mill, called Acton mill, of xlv yeeres
standinge or theraboutes, built within his majesties mannor of Hexham, and payeth yeerlye
rent for the same ...
\'alor annualis vltra redditum, 3s. 4d.
Cuthbei-t Hawdon houldeth ther a watercorne mill called Cattonlee mill, builte within his
majesties mannor of Hexham, and payeth yeerlie rent for the same the somme of five
shillinges per annum
Valor annualis vltra redditum, £1 los., but at present not worth anythinge by reason
one Hugh Sheele hath turned away the watercourse where yt hath runne
these xl'"' yeeres and vpwardes.
Christopher Bee houldeth ther a watercorne mill of x.\j yeeres standinge or ther-
aboutes, built vpon his majesties mannor of He.xham, but never paid any rent for the same.
Valet per annum ...
£ s. d.
034
050
050
034
I04 HEXHAMSHIRE.
£ s. d.
William Hucheson houldeth tlier a fullinge mill of about vj yeeres standing, built
within his majesties innnnor of Hexham, but neuer paid rent. Valet ... ... ... 026
Thomas Bee houldeth ther one other fullinge mill ther of about vj yeeres standinge,
but neuer paide rent for the same. Valet per annum ... ... ... ... ... 034
Thomas Carnabye of the Hermitage hathe latelie erected ther a watercome mill ther,
and payeth yeerlye rent for the same ... ... ... ... ... ... 034
William Kirsop houldeth in Dipton, within the mannor of Hexham, a watercome mill
called Whinetly mill, new erected, and rented per annum ... ... ... ... 006
Valor annualis vltra redditum, £2.
Within the towne of Hexham ther hath bene by auncient custome a toll of a certaine
small quantitie of corne taken vpon every sacke of corne in the markett. In consideracion
of clensinge and kecpinge of the streetes cleane by the skeldraker, who is bounde therby to
keepe the markett place cleane, and every yeere to pave c yardes of casway, either within
the towne or in the highe wayes without the towne. The sayd skeldrakers office is now
enioyed by Mary Lishman, widdowe, William Noble, John Perkinson, and Richard
Cunigham, was never in charge before, but is yeerly worth to be lett ... ... ... 034
per Barth. Haggalt, superuisor.
Memorandum : The mannor or regalitie of Hexham, with the members therof, hathe ancientlye beene
belonginge vnto the archbisshoppricke of Yorke, and came vnto the crowne by exchange, betweene Kinge
Henrye the Eight and the cardinall, then archbisshopp of Vorke, and soe hathe remayned in the crowne
ever since.
All the coppihoulde and cuslumarie tenantes ther clayme their landes as coppiholders of inheritance
to them, their heires and assignes, accordinge to the custome, for rent, fine, and border service.
Their fines they pretende to be certaine, viz., one yeeres rent at everye change of tenant, but not
herriotable.
They haue ther, for certaine, verie ancient evidences and courtrolls, but they woulde not showe them
vnto us, nor any of their coppies.
Their fines, issues, amerciaments of court, etc., are collected by Roger Woodrington, their bailiffe, or
his deputie, who hathe the same graunted him by patent as is saide, but wee rather beleeve the contrar\-e,
viz., that he ought to account for them to his majestie. Sir John Fenwicke, knight, is stewarde ther at
present. Ther are noe parkes or game within the regalitie of Hexham.
P GIBSON PHGTO
TKiL CHOIR ^.KEXHAM ABBEY CHURCH
THE CHURCH AND PRIORV OF ST. ANDREW. IO5
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW.
It is a matter of some interest that the foundation of the church at
Hexham took place not long after the synod of Whitby. At this important
meeting, held in the year 664, the long pending struggle between Latin and
Celtic Christianity was at length fought out and decided. Wilfrid, as the
champion of the Roman church, had on this occasion won a complete
victory, and Colman retired from Lindisfarne to his island home in lona.
Not long after this, Wilfrid founded a church at Ripon, but in the year 674
an even more favourable opportunity presented itself for celebrating and con-
solidating his triumph.
Ecgfrid, the reigning king of Northumbria, had married Etheldrid,
daughter of Ine, king of the East Angles. The southern queen, reared in
the traditions of Latin Christianity, would naturally turn instinctively towards
its recognised champion in the north, preferring the successor of Paulinus to
the disciples of Aidan. Her first inclinations speedily ripened into the
warmest friendship and regard, feelings which Wilfrid's strong and noble
personality might well be expected to inspire. Proofs of her esteem were
not long wanting, for in the year 674 above mentioned she gave to Wilfrid
out of her dower a grant of land, comprising in all probability the whole
of the district known later as the regality of Hexham.' Wilfrid, whose
numerous resources had been thus suddenly increased, resolved to gratify his
love of architecture and prove his affection for the queen his mistress by
raising a noble edifice, which by its Italian grace and beautv should stand as
a lasting monument to the superior culture and power of the Roman church."
It was in the fortieth year of his age that Wilfrid set about the erection
of this his greatest architectural work. Of its form and plan we unfortunately
know but little, in spite of two independent descriptions given by Eddi and
Prior Richard. Overcome by the greatness and magnificence of their
subject our authorities only indulge in vague generalities, and where we
could wish for a detailed description only aiford us a shadowy outline.^
' PiHor Richard (printed by Surt. Soc. vol. 44), bk. i. cap. v. - Ibid. bk. i. cap. ii.
' Ibid. bk. i. cap. iii. Rolls series, Historians of York, i. Eddi, cap. xxii.
Vol. III. 14
I06 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
The new church was built after the Roman fashion, and was probably in
the form of a basilica. The features which most impressed our historians
were its lart^e proportions, its polished stones, its fine arcades, its paintings
and decorations, and its crypt or crypts with a network of passages designed
for the safety of its clergy. Nor were the accessories neglected. Wilfrid
supplied his new church with all that was required in vestments, plate, and
relics; a cemetery was enclosed by thick walls that might serve for
defensive purposes, and water was brought to the site by means of an
aqueduct of earthenware pipes. ^ No such church, as Eddi enthusiastically
observed, could be seen on this side of the Alps.^
Small wonder, then, that the Hexham monks looked with peculiar pride
upon their church. Prior Richard even goes so far as to say that Wilfrid
intended to resign his see of York, and devote himself entirely to Hexham,
not only because Pope Agatho had forbidden a priest to hold more than one
benefice, but because he sought in Hexham a quiet that he could not obtain
in his former see.^ In this statement we can but think that Richard allowed
himself to be led astray bv his prejudices. Nevertheless it is certain that
Wilfrid cherished a peculiar affection for this, the latest of his creations.
Not only had he adorned it with all the resources of his art, not only did he
endow it richly with all the wealth churchmen then most rejoiced to possess,
but he consecrated it in honour of his own patron saint, St. Andrew, from
whom he believed he had miraculously received increased intellectual
powers.'' In the right of sanctuary the church received a new and important
privilege, and for a distance of one mile in every direction men might rely
upon the protection of its saints. Moreover Wilfrid set himself with such
vigour to the work of construction, that notwithstanding the unusual vastness
of his task and the large scale upon which it was planned, together with its
wealth of ornament, he completed the building within a period of four years.
The work had been begun in 674, and it seems that it was completed by 678.
If Wilfrid had come to Hexham in order to enjoy quiet and rest he was
doomed to disappointment. At the end of the four years of busy work on his
' About the middle of the present century some pipes were found lying in situ near the manor office.
Dr. Bruce considered them to be Roman, but the presumption is that they were put in by Wilfrid, who is
known to have employed Italian workmen. Two of these pipes are now in the cathedral library at
Durham.
^ Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. iii. ; Eddi, cap. xxii. ; Rolls Series, Symam of Durham, ii. p. 52, Lancrcost
Chron. p. 175.
' Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. ii. ' Ibid. cap. iii. cj. Eddi, cap. v.
THE CHMRCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. IO7
new church he found himself deprived of his protectress, Queen Etheldricl,
and was once more forced to wander a homeless exile. The cause of the
change was as follows : Queen Etheldrid, being under a vow to preserve
her virginity, and desiring nothing so much as to live a saintly life, persist-
ently refused the repeated solicitations of her husband. In this resolution
she was fortified by the support of Wilfrid, who heartily approved of her
action. At last becoming exasperated at so obstinate a resistance King
Ecgfrid resolved to divorce his wife and marry another who would be more
compliant. Etheldrid retired to the monastery of Coldingham, and the
king wedded Ermenburg.
Wilfrid's power could not fail to be shaken by this change. King
Ecgfrid had offered him money and lands if he would prevail upon the late
queen to break her vow, but Wilfrid remained immovable, and the king
well knew how much he owed to his opposition. The influence of the new
queen only added fuel to Ecgfrid's resentment. Ermenburg felt jealous of
Wilfrid's great power and influence, and she longed to ruin him.' An
opportunity soon presented itself. Archbishop Theodore, who had been
sent to fill the see of Canterbury by Pope Vitalian, came to England
determined to thoroughly organise the English church under the head of
one metropolitan. The see of York, however, presented the chief obstacle
to his designs. It had become so powerful under Wilfrid, and its importance
had been so much increased by the building of the church at Hexham that it
threatened to become equal to the see of Canterbury. It was Theodore's
determination, however, to reduce it to subjection to his own diocese. He
therefore willingly accepted an invitation from King Ecgfrid to come and
deal with the northern bishopric. Following the plan he had adopted in the
other Saxon kingdoms, Theodore agreed with King Ecgfrid to divide
Northumbria into the three dioceses of Deira, Bernicia, and Lindsey. York
was made the see of Deira, and Hexham or Lindisfarne became the
ecclesiastical capital of Bernicia. Bosa was consecrated to the former and
Eata to the latter. Wilfrid was not present at the council at which these
great alterations were made, but when he had been informed of their extent
he strenuously protested. When he demanded of Theodore for what crime
he had been thus despoiled, the archbishop was bound to admit Wilfrid's
' Priny Richard, bk. i. cap. ii.; Beda, Hist. Eccles. bk. iv. cap. xii. ; Eddi, cap. xxiv. Rolls series, A. S.
Chroii. ii. p. 33.
lOS HEXHAM BOROUGH.
innocence, and could plead nothing but expediency to justify the steps he
had taken. Wilfrid, however, would not accept the position assigned to
him. He considered himself to have been wantonly robbed ; he rose in
revolt against such an iniquitous administration of justice, and resolving to
lay his cause before the pope, departed into Italy.'
Eata, who was thus left in undisputed possession of the diocese of
Bernicia, had been one of the twelve boys selected and educated by Aidan
in the Christian faith. As a boy he had shown good parts, and was docile
and humane. In riper years he possessed the same gentle qualities, and was
patient, affable, and genial with all men. His first important office in the
church was at Melrose, where he was abbot, and among his pupils were such
men as Boisil and the renowned Cuthbert. Upon Colman's defeat at
Whitby and his departure to lona Eata had succeeded him at Lindisfarne ;
and it is a curious coincidence that he also should have been the one who
profited by the fall of the man who had done the most to overthrow
Colman's system." When he formed the new diocese of Bernicia Theodore
does not seem to have clearly decided whether the episcopal see should be
at Hexham or Lindisfarne. Eata, who was alreadv settled in the latter
place, naturally preferred to remain where he was, and for three years he
was bishop of all Bernicia. Apparently, however, this arrangement did not
prove altogether satisfactory, for in the year 68 1 Trumbriht was consecrated
bishop of Hexham.' In spite of Prior Richard's assertion to the contrary, it
may be regarded as certain that the diocese of Hexham was formed at this
time. Eata had probably found it impossible to administer the whole of
Bernicia, and this diocese was therefore divided into two parts, of which
Hexham and Lindisfarne were the respective sees. Trumbriht must there-
fore be regarded as the first bishop of Hexham, actually consecrated as such,
although both Wilfrid and Eata had preceded him as the bishops of a larger
diocese, of which the new Hexham bishopric only formed a part. The line
of division which was to separate the two new sees was taken at the Aln, and
the bishops of Hexham accordinglv ruled over all the district between that
river and the Tees, while the bishopric of Lindisfarne included the northern
part of Northumberland.
Of the new bishop, Trumbriht, we know nothing personallv, nor are any
' Eddi, cap. xxiv. '- Surt. Soc. Biog. Misc. Life of Eata, p. 122.
' Print Richard, bk. i. cap. i.x. Rolls series, A. S. Chron. ii. p. 34.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 09
events recorded during his short episcopate of three years. At the expira-
tion of this time he was deposed, but the reason for his expulsion is obscure.
The anonymous life of Eata states that it was for some act of disobedience.^
Thorpe, on the other hand, suggests that he was driven out by the Picts, but
unfortunately gives no authority for this statement.^ The whole subject is a
very obscure one, and Trumbriht disappears into the complete oblivion from
which he emerged.
The see of Hexham seems to have remained vacant for a whole year.
At the expiration of this time, in the winter of the year 684, a synod was
summoned at Twyford on the banks of the Aln (probably Alnmouth), at
which King Ecgfrid, Archbishop Theodore, and many ecclesiastics were
present.^ At this conference the deposition of Trumbriht was probably
confirmed, and then the council proceeded to discuss the appointment of a
successor. For this post none seemed so fit as the recluse of the Fame
Islands, the holy St. Cuthbert, whose fame had already spread far and wide.
To overcome Cuthbert's known reluctance to leave a solitary life letters and
messengers were sent to him urging him to consent to take the office, but all
in vain. Cuthbert steadily refused to be drawn away from his quiet life of
meditation and prayer, and it was not until the king himself and Bishop
Trumwine 'with many men of religioune and other men of grete renoune '■*
had gone in person to his cell and besought him on their knees to relent,
that he at last reluctantly agreed to do as they desired.
But Cuthbert could not prevail upon himself to leave his loved island of
Fame, and in his perplexity he found a true friend in his old master Eata.
The latter possessed just as much fondness for Lindisfarne as Cuthbert did
for Fame, and had shown his decided preference for the northern see by
remaining there when he had the choice between the two bishoprics in 678.
On the present occasion he generously decided to give way in favour of
Cuthbert, relinquishing to him the see of Lindisfarne, and going himself to
Hexham.'
The transfer having been thus amicably arranged, it was duly confirmed
by the king and a large assembly at York, whither both Eata and Cuthbert
had gone, the latter for the purpose of being consecrated by Archbishop
' ' Pro culpa cujusdam inobedientiae.' Surt. Soc. Biog. Misc. p. 123.
- Rolls series, A. S. Chroii. ii. p. 34, note. This is probably owing to a confusion between Trumbriht
and Trumwine. ' Beda, Hist. Ecclcs. bk. iv. cap. xxviii. Cf. vol. ii., p. 468.
' Surt. Soc. Metrical Life of St. Cutlibei'l,p. 1 8g. ^Surt. Soc. Biog. Misc. p. 1 23 ; Prior Richani, bk. i. cap. .\.
IIO HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Theodore. From this conference Eata went straight to Hexham to take up
his work there. On his arrival he was received with every manifestation of
joy. The people of Hexham, who remembered his former connection with
them, were glad to welcome back into their midst one whom they thought
they had lost for ever. During the brief year of his episcopate Eata was
untiring in good works and pious exhortations. His kind and gentle nature
had still further endeared him to the people when he was carried oif by
dysentery a.d. 685. His body was interred at Hexham, over against the
sacristry on the south side of the church, and a small stone chapel was raised
there in his memory.'
Eata's successor at Hexham was St. John of Beverley, a pupil of
Archbishop Theodore, and master of the Venerable Beda. Like so many of
the great saints of the north, he loved a life of quiet and seclusion, and used
every Lent time to tear himself away from the cares of his bishopric and
retire to the opposite bank of the Tyne. At this spot, then known as
Erneshou, which may probably be identified with the modern St. John Lee,
he secluded himself in the little oratory of St. Michael, and spent his time in
fasting and prayer. Even here, however, his solitude was invaded by the
crowd of poor and sick people who came to ask an alms or to be healed by
the prayers of the holy man.^
John had not been in possession of his new bishopric for more than a
year when Wilfrid at last returned from his long exile, fortified with letters
from Pope Agatho, which decided all the questions in dispute in his favour.
His old enemy, King Ecgfrid was dead, and his successor, Aldfrith, was more
favourably disposed towards the persecuted bishop. Moreover, Archbishop
Theodore, abandoning all his hostility, had become reconciled with Wilfrid,
and wrote a letter to the king in his favour. Aldfrith at once decided upon
the course he should pursue. He resolved to restore Wilfrid to his former
possessions, and John was obliged to leave Hexham and his loved oratory at
Erneshou.^
' Biog. Misc. pp. 123-4. In his history (v. i.) Ordericus Vitahs says: 'In hanc lucem xiv° kal. Martii
matris ex utero profusus sum, sabbatoque sequentis Paschae apud Ettingesham in ecclesia sancti Eattae
confessoris sacro fonte renatus sum.' The modern name of the place is Atcham, in Shropshire. There
is a church of St. Alchmund at Shrewsbury, about four miles distant, and Canon Raine, who has visited
it, states that it contains some Saxon sculpture of an early date. It would be interesting to learn by what
means the names of these northern saints became identified with a place so remote from the spot with
which they are usually associated, for though the St. Alchmund referred to may be the prince and not the
bishop, only one Eata is mentioned in the calendar. Cf. Anderson's Shropshire, p. 164.
'' Rolls series, Historians of York, i. Folcard, caps, i.-iv. " Eddi, caps, xliii. xliv. Folcard, cap ni.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. Ill
But Wilfrid's restoration was not so complete as it appeared. It is
doubtful if he received York back again at all, but it is certain that he did
not receive the greater part of its endowments. His monastery at Ripon
had been changed into a bishopric, and he could not exercise his wonted
authority there ; in Hexham he was left unopposed, but even there he found
he was subjected to the influence of Archbishop Theodore, and obliged to
own his submission to the see of Canterbury in everything.
For five years he remained at Hexham chafing under a sense of his
wrongs, till at length the situation becoming unbearable, he left the north
and took refuge with Ethelred, king of Mercia.' King Aldfrith at once
summoned a council to decide upon the questions in dispute. The bishops
who had been dispossessed by Wilfrid's restoration appeared as his chief
opponents, and we may fairly assume that St. John of Beverley was among
the number. Their counsels prevailed, in the main, for though it was agreed
to leave Ripon to Wilfrid with all its endowments, he was to be deprived
of the other two sees and their possessions. Against this judgment Wilfrid
again appealed to Rome, and left England for Italy in order the better to
sustain his cause. ^
After his departure St. John of Beverley appears to have returned to
Hexham, where he occupied the see as he had done before. Although
Prior Richard asserts that he held York at the same time,' this cannot have
been the case, for he did not go to York until 705, or fourteen years later,
and after Wilfrid's second return to Hexham. It is not improbable, how-
ever, that he received some appointment in that diocese, since Theodore,
though he had encouraged the restoration of Wilfrid, would not be likely to
forget the claims of his former pupil.
Wilfrid's second exile lasted thirteen years. Less fortunate than he
had been on the previous occasion, he found more difficulty in obtaining a
papal decision in his favour than he had experienced before. Theodore's
successor at Canterbury, Archbishop Brihtwald took care that his side of the
question should also be represented at Rome, and the pope, who wished to
settle the ecclesiastical disputes in the distant island kingdom, appears to
have been anxious to arrange a compromise. At last Wilfrid obtained a
' Eddi, cap. xlv. Prior Richard declares he was expelled at the instance of the bishops for disobedience
to Archbishop Theodore. Bk. i. cap. xii. The two stories may, however, very easily be reconciled.
■ Eddi, caps. xlvi. xlviii. ' Bk. i. cap. xii. He asserts that St. John was appointed to York
upon his dismissal from Hexham. On this point see Canon Raine's notes. Hexham Priory, i. pp. 2S, 30.
I I 2 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
decision in liis favour, and about tiie year 705 hurried back to England in
order to have it carried into effect. King Aldfrith, however, would not
listen to him, and refused all his advances; and, though he died soon after,
his successor Eardulf proved even more harsh and uncompromising.' The
new king's reign was only a short one, and Osred, who succeeded him, at
once listened to Wilfrid's complaints. Summoning a council at an unknown
place on the river Nidd, Osred laid before the assembled ecclesiastics the
whole question of Wilfrid and his rights. As on the former occasion, the
bishops who were most concerned strenuously opposed any concession of his
claims. Matters might yet have gone hard with Wilfrid had not the bishops
received a timely reminder that King Aldfrith in his last moments had
repented of his harshness and expressed a wish that Wilfrid should be
restored. Anxious to respect the wishes of their late monarch, the bishops
after conferring among themselves at last agreed to accept Wilfrid's restora-
tion to Hexham and Ripon.^
After all the years he had spent in wandering and petitioning, with the
sole purpose of making good his claim to his former possessions this was the
utmost that Wilfrid could obtain. He was obliged to resign York, and it is
improbable that he secured his independence against the claims of the
archbishop of Canterbury. Immediately after the conclusion of the synod
Wilfrid hurried away to enter upon his favourite see of Hexham, and to visit
once more the beautiful church upon which he had lavished so much skill
and money. On the road he was overtaken by the same mysterious sickness
and letharg}' that had attacked him in France a few years before. No doubt
the late excitement had told upon him and so severe was his illness that his
companions despaired of his life.' He recovered, however, and thus gave
another proof of his remarkable vitality. St. John of Beverley having
retired to York, Wilfrid spent the remainder of his days in peace, and
divided his time between his two sees of Hexham and Ripon. He ended his
stormy career peacefully in his monastery at Oundle on the 12th of October,
709, or four years after his second restoration.''
Wilfrid's priest, Acca, was chosen to succeed him at Hexham. The
pupil of Bosa, the companion of Wilfrid, and the fast friend of Beda,* Acca
' Eddi, caps. Iviii. lix. ■ Ibid. cap. Ix. ' Ibid. cap. txi.
■' Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. xii. Beda, Hist. Eccles. bk. v. cap. xix.
* Symeon of Durham, Rolls series, ii. p. 32.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. II3
seemed a link between all that was greatest and best in contemporary
northern Christianity. Certainly no one was better fitted to succeed to the
work Wilfrid had relinquished and to carry it out in the spirit of its
originator. He had faithfully accompanied Wilfrid on his last exile, and
had anxiously watched at his bedside during his serious illness at Meaux.
His was the first name on Wilfrid's lips when the great bishop recovered
from his long lethargy, and to his sympathetic ear was first related the story
of the mystic vision of the Virgin Mary.'
A man of great activity, with an aesthetic love for beauty and order,
whose sojourn at Rome had served to cultivate his natural taste for
regularity and ritual, his episcopate forms an era in the history of the church
of Hexham in connection with which he is almost a more important figure
than Wilfrid himself. He at once set to work to adorn the interior of his
church with all manner of beautiful decorations. From all sides he
collected relics of the saints, and reared altars to their memory in various
recesses of the building. He took great pains to improve the ceremonial of
the worship at Hexham, and his extensive knowledge of ritual acquired at
Rome enabled him to do this the more effectually. He provided his church
with all necessary holy vessels and lights, and himself a good vocalist,
invited Maban from Pope Gregory's choral school at Rome to instruct the
people in the art of singing.^
An enthusiastic lover of letters he collected the history of all the
martyrs whose relics he had acquired, and formed a noble library, which was
destined to perish in the fires kindled by the Danes. It was due to his
instigation and advice that Beda wrote his commentaries on the gospels of
Mark and Luke.^
By his embellishments and paintings, by his collection of relics, and by
his magnificent library Acca at once raised Hexham church to a height of
importance it had perhaps never before attained, and had at least rescued it
from the insignificance into which it seemed likely to fall, owing to the
disputes about Wilfrid, and the continual changes of its bishops.
After an active and most productive episcopate of twenty-four years
Acca was driven from his bishopric a.d. 733.* What was the reason of this
flight, whether he was driven out by an inroad of barbarians, or whether he
' Eddi, cap. Ivi.
- Beda, Hist. Ecclcs. bk. v. cap. xi.\. Prior Richard gives the name as Mafan. Bk. i. cap. xiv.
^ Prior Richard, loc. cit. ^ Roll series, A. S. Chron. ii. p. 40. Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. .w.
Vol. Ill, 15
I 14 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
was deposed by the king, history does not relate. He can hardly have been
deposed for misconduct, for in that case he could not have been canonised so
soon after. He may possibly have been asked to resign, on account of his
great age, although the energetic language of all the chroniclers suggests
that something far more violent took place. He survived the event four
years, during which time a tradition current in the days of Prior Richard
related that he founded the see of Whitherne.* At his death in 737, his
body was brought back to the church for whose greatness he had done so
much, and buried over against the sanctuary outside the wall of the building.
Two large stone crosses of curious and elaborate workmanship, one placed
at the head and the other at the foot marked his resting place. An inscrip-
tion carved on one of them carried down to future generations the name of
the great man whose bones lay beneath.'
At Acca's departure in 733, Fritheberht was appointed in his place.
He lived until 23rd Dec, 766, and at his death was buried in Hexham
church.^ Rut one event is recorded in his unusually long episcopate. In the
year 750 a kinsman of the king fled for refuge to the shrine of St. Cuthbert.
The saint, however, afforded him no protection, and his impious pursuers
dragged the unfortunate man away from the sanctuary and slew him. King
Eadbert in his wrath at this attack upon the royal race resolved to punish
the inoftensive bishop of Lindisfarne, and sent the unlucky Cynewulf to
prison in the roval fortress of Bamburgh. During his absence Fritheberht
administered the diocese of Lindisfarne as well as his own for the space of a
vear. At the expiration of this time Eadbert's wrath was assuaged, and he
restored Cynewulf to his former state.*
Alchmund, who succeeded Fritheberht, is usually ranked with Eata and
Acca among the chief of the saintly bishops of Hexham, but the causes
which combined to give him this pre-eminence cannot now be ascertained.
The record of his life is all but a blank. He was buried next to Acca, as
one whose merit was but little if at all inferior to that of the renowned
friend of Wilfrid and Beda.^
' Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. xv. The chronoldgy of the Enghsh chronicle has been followed here and
elsewhere. Prior Richard says that Acca survived eight years, and died in 740, he. cit. The tradition as
to Whithernc is untenable, because that see was already founded while Acca was still at He.xham. It
has been suggested that Acca went northwards, and founded St. /Vndrews in Scotland.
■ Symcoii of Durham, ii. p. 33. The greater part of one of these stones is now in the cathedral library
at Durham. ' Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. xvi. ' Symcon of Durham, i. p. 48.
■' Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. xvi. Syimvii of Durham, ii. pp. 43, 47, cf. supra, p. 1 10, note.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDRKW.
115
The following bishop, Tilbirlil, was consecrated at Wlfeswclle, an
unidentified place, on 2nd Oct., 780. It was during his episcopate that
the good King Elfvvald was treacherously
murdered by the patrician Sicgan, at a
place called Scvthlecester, near the Roman
Wall. A great multitude of monks and clergy
journeyed to the scene of the tragedy and
brought the mangled body of the just king
to Hexham for burial. A thirteenth-century
tomb is still pointed out as the monument of
the unfortunate monarch. The importance of
Hexham during the reign of Elfwald is perhaps
indicated by the fact that Bishop Tilberht
signed the decrees of the synod of Pincanhale
immediately after the king. Tilberht died in
the year 789, and was buried in the church of
Hexham.'
The usual absence of information leaves
us in complete ignorance as to the history of
Hexham during the successive episcopates of
Ethelberht (789-797), Heardred (797-800), Ean-
berht (800-806), Tidfirth (806 (?)-82i(?)). Ethel-
berht came from Whitherne to Hexham, and he
is the last of the bishops of w^hom it is recorded
that he was buried at Hexham. Tidfirth ap-
parently had been bishop of Dunwich since 797.
Tradition relates that he died on his way to Rome.
A memorial stone, on which his name is carved
in Runic characters, was discovered at Monkwear-
mouth about the middle of the present century,
and is now preserved in the British Museum.- At this point a tabulated
list of the Hexham bishops may prove useful for purposes of reference.'
SuFPO-^ED Tomb or King Elfwald.
' Symeon of Durham, ii. pp. 50, 52.
- Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. xviii.; bk. ii. cap. i. Rolls series, A. S. Chron. ii. p. 50, spelt Tidfrith.
^ This list has been compiled from Prior Richard and the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. WTienever there is
any discrepancy between the two, preference has been given to the latter, as a contemporary account.
The Anglo-Saxon spelling has also been adopted in preference to Prior Richard's latinized forms.
Il6 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
St. Wilfrid builds the church ... ... ... ... ... 674-678.
St. Eata governs Hexham and Lindisfarne together ... ... 678-681.
Trumbriht ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 681-683. (?)
St. Eata ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 685.
St. John of Beverley ... ... ... ... ... ... 685.
St. Wilfrid (first restoration) ... ... ... ... ... 686-691.
St. John of Beverley ... ... ... ... ... 691-705.
St. Wilfrid (second restoration) ... ... ... 705-7th May, 709.
St. Acca ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 709-733-
St. Fritheberht ... ... ... ... 8th Sept., 734-23rd Dec, 766.
St. Alchmund ... ... ... 24th April., 767-7th Sept., 780.
St. Tilberht ... ... ... ... ... 2nd Oct., 780-789.
Ethelberht ... ... ... ... ... ... 789-i6th Oct., 797.
Heardred ... ... ... ... ... ... 30th Oct., 797-800.
Eanberht ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 800-806.
Tidfirth 806 (?)-82i. (?)
About the year 821 the history of Hexham church mysteriously ceases,
and the see, which had once been so important, becomes vacant. The
reasons for this state of affairs can only be conjectured. History affords us
no evidence, and Prior Richard simply mentions incidentally the fact that
there had been no bishops at Hexham for fifty-four years before the Danish
invasion of 875.' It seems evident that the bishopric had been put down by
violence, and perhaps the unsettled state of the north made more than one
bishopric superfluous. This would at any rate e.xplain why Lindisfarne
survived while Hexham perished." The contemporary failure of the see of
Whitherne, where a vacancy occurs in the same manner as at He.xham,
points to the operation of some overwhelming destructive power in the
whole of the district. The fact that the country between Carlisle and
Lindisfarne is known soon after this time as the Waste or the Picts' country
would seem to point to a great revival of the Pictish nation. In this
connection it is interesting to note that at the moment when St. Andrew
seemed to have deserted his princely see in Hexham, the celebrated
monastery in his honour was being founded in Scotland at the place that still
bears his name.
Even if a Pictish invasion had taken place about the year 821, it is
probable that the conquerors, who were themselves Christians, spared the
noble church of He.xham. It was still, in all probability, as fair as when
Alcuin enthusiastically described it in a letter to Bishop Ethelberht,'
adorned by all the rich beauty of the gold and silver and precious stones
''.^.D. 875 . . . et ex quo Haugustaldensis ecclesiae episcopi defecerunt quinquagesimo quarto.
Bk. ii. cap. i. " C/. Hexham Pi'ioyy, i. preface, pp. xl. xli. * Jbni. preface, p. x.xxix.
THK CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. II7
with which Acca had decorated its numerous shrines, and on its walls the
pictures of Wilfrid's day still remained unfaded. But in the year 875
appeared an enemv that knew no respect for Christianity, and who looked
upon the magnificent church with the greedy eye of the sacrilegious
plunderer. The Dane Halfdene, taking up his quarters at the mouth of
the Tyne, ravaged the surrounding country with fire and sword.' In the
general conflagration Hexham was one of the first places to suffer. Its
stately abbey was burned to the ground, its riches were ruthlessly plundered,
and the relics of its saintly bishops were buried under the ruins of the
building where in happier days they had given such signal examples of their
goodness and piety.
In the general disorganisation that followed, the see of Hexham was
administered by Bishop Eardulf of Lindisfarne. But the connection between
the two churches could not be very close. The proximity of the Danes
would make residence at Hexham more than dangerous, and moreover
Eardulf himself was a fugitive. Lindisfarne could no longer ofl^er a secure
asylum to its inhabitants. Gathering up their relics and other precious
things and the body of St. Cuthbeit, which they valued more than all,
Eardulf and his clergy fled before the savage invaders. Bearing their
precious burden, they wandered from place to place, with the dread of the
Danes ever pursuing them, and they even attempted to cross into Ireland.
At length they settled at Chester-le-Street. More peaceful times had super-
vened ; the Danes had established themselves in the country and had become
Christians. Their whole attitude towards the church was entirely altered,
and few believers were more devout than these converted northmen. In
the year 883 their king Guthred munificently endowed the followers of St.
Cuthbert with all the land between the Tyne and the Wear, together with
the right of sanctuary.^
In this way, perhaps, the bishops of Durham, who were the direct succes-
sors of the bishops at Lindisfarne and Chester-le-Street, first acquired a legal
title to the possessions of the Hexham province. But the whole question is
one of great obscurity. The close connection between He.xham and Lindis-
farne during the whole of the period that those two sees existed is a very
striking phenomenon, and many circumstances in their history suggest that
' Rolls series, A. S. Citron, ii. p. 63. Aclrcit, di Sanctis, cap. xi.
' The grant was confirmed by King Alfred as overlord. Symcon of Durham, Rolls series, ii. p. 70.
Il8 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Hexham was subordinate to Linclisfarne from the time of its foundation.
In the year 854, however, when the sees of both York and Lindisfarne were
vacant by the deaths of Wigmund and Eanberht, an opportunity was taken
of readjusting the boundaries of both dioceses. The bishopric of Hexham
was then divided between the two surviving sees. York received that part
lying between the Tees and the Tyne, while Lindisfarne administered the
lands between the Tyne and the Aln.
Although these limits should not, of course, be taken too absolutely,
yet there seems to be no good reason why York should have been despoiled
of her possessions in the year 883. But the whole of the north must have
been in a very unsettled condition at that time, and the outlying districts in
large dioceses could not fail to suffer neglect under such circumstances.
The mere fact that Eardulf had taken the neglected bishopric of Hexham
under his charge would no doubt of itself give him the prior claim to the
possession of the diocese. At the same time the bishops of Durham were
sensible of the insufficiency of their title. During the eleventh century they
therefore obtained three separate confirmations from Archbishop Lanfranc,
from Pope Gregory VH., and finally from the Archbishop of York himself,
Thomas I. In each of these grants the church at Hexham, and all that
belonged to it are expressly mentioned.'
In spite of the anxiety of the bishops at Chester-le-Street to possess
themselves of Hexham, they appear to have neglected to make use of it
during the course of the tenth century. Matters were still far too unsettled
in the north for any regular steps to be taken for the rebuilding of the
church, and in all probability the town of Hexham itself remained waste and
desolate with scarcely any resident population. Even at Chester-le-Street
the safety of the episcopal seat could not be assured. In the year 995 a
fresh incursion of the Danes drove Bishop Ealdhun and his clergy in flight to
Ripon. After a sojourn of three months, peace was restored, and Ealdhun
returned, no longer to Chester-le-Street but to Durham. Here the body of
St. Cuthbert was at last to find its final resting place. "
It may be surmised that Ealdhun had not long been in full possession of
his see before he thought about the administration of his lands in Hexham-
shire. The exact date is uncertain, but it probably was about this time that
he appointed one Collan, son of Edred, to be provost there. The spiritual
' Hist. Dunclm. Scnptorcs Tns. Surt. Soc. pp. x. xiii. ccxxxi. " Prior Richard, bk. ii. cap. ii.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. II9
needs of Hexham were not fully attended to for another twenty years or so
when Alured, the son of Westou, was appointed to take charge of them.
Alured was probably a descendant of Eilaf Tod, one of the bearers of the
body of St. Cuthbert, and it was only natural that he should receive an
appointment of some importance. He does not appear to have resided
much at He.xham, though he went there and carried away some of the relics
to Durham. He appointed as his deputy-priests two men named Gamel,
apparently father and son.^
The reign of the provosts and priests of Hexham lasted throughout the
eleventh century, and although our authorities are very meagre, the period is
one of very great importance and interest. The history of Hexham during
this time illustrates in a very striking manner the laxity of discipline among
the clergy of the eleventh century, a state of affairs that only succumbed to
the strong will and restless activity of Hildebrand after a long and obstinate
struggle. The priests of Hexham not only married and begot children like
their lay brethren, but the son followed his father in the regular order of
succession.^ By these means the ecclesiastical possessions of the church
were passed from father to son, like lay property, till at length they came to
be regarded as actually belonging to the family. And thus it came about
that when in later years the archbishop of York established Austin canons at
Hexham they found almost all the property there in the hands of the priest,
and were condemned to suffer the extremes of want and penury.
The following pedigree will explain more clearly than a lengthy
description what actually took place during this period :''
Eadred.
I
Collan, provost of Hexham. = Alured, Westou sune, sacrist of Durham.
First priest of He.xham, circa 1020-1041.
.1 I I
Eilaf, treasurer of Durham. Second Hemming. Ulkill.
priest of Hexham in 1085.
I
I , I
Eilaf, last priest of Hexham, d. 1 1 38. Aldred, shrine keeper at Hexham.
i \ I I
Aelred, the historian, abbot of Rievaulx, d. I167. Samuel. Ethelwold. A daughter.
' Hexham Priory, i. app. No. iv.
' Cf. Arch. Ael. n. s. iv. p. 11. In an interesting paper by Mr. Longstafife.
^ This table is taken from Canon Raine's Hexham Priory, i. preface, p. 11. The authorities are to be
found among the Illustrative Documents, No. iv.
I20 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Although Alured carried away some reUcs from Hexham, he did not
deprive the church of the bodies of its three principal saints and bishops.
Most probably some of the principal inhabitants of Hexham interfered to
prevent the proposed spoliation, and this may be the meaning of the
following legend :
There was living in Hexham at this time a certain dreng [dregmo
quidam), simple in manners, but of saintly life, and much respected bv his
neighbours. As he was sleeping one night in his house the place was filled
with an unearthly light, and a glorious vision appeared. The radiant figure
announced himself as St. Alchmund, and commanded the awe-stricken dreng
to instruct Alured to remove his body from its lowly position outside the
church and replace it in a more honourable situation within. Thus
instructed, Alured could not think of carrying off the remains of the bishop
to Durham. But he contrived, while the bodv was being translated, to cut
oft a finger as a relic for his favourite church. The next morning when it
was proposed to continue the work of translation, the bier on which the
saint's body lay was immovable. No efforts sufficed to lift it from the place
where it rested. Dismayed and disheartened the toilers were forced to
abandon the task that day, and retired home wondering by what means the
saint had been so grievously offended. That same night Alchmund again
appeared to the dreng, and, showing his mutilated hand, informed him of the
theft that had been committed. On the following morning the dreng stood
forth and told his hearers of the vision. The shamed Alured was obliged to
restore the stolen finger, and the translation of the body proceeded without
further interruption.^
It will be remembered that the body of Alchmund had originally been
buried beside that of Acca. It can hardly be supposed, therefore, that the
body of the former saint could have been removed to a more honourable
resting place before that of his more celebrated predecessor. It is well
known that the tomb of Acca was opened about this time, from the relation
given in Symeon's Historia Regiim? His body was found without diificultv,
and on his breast was a small tablet joined with silver pins, which had
' Symcon of Dui-Juim, Rolls series, ii. pp. 48, 49.
-' Symeon says the translation of Acca took place three hundred years after his burial, and that of
Alchmund two hundred and fifty years. As Acca was buried in the year 733 and Alchmund in the year
780 the translation of the two bodies may be said to have taken place' about the same time. Symeon is
evidently only speaking in round numbers. The date of the event would thus be circa 1030. Jbict. pp.
33- 47-
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST- ANDREW. 121
probably served as a portable altar. An inscription on it read : ' Ahnae
Trinitati, agiae Sophiae, Sanctae Mariae.' The remains were put into a
shrine and placed on the altar of St. Michael on the south side of the church.^
Perhaps the remains of Eata were also translated at this time and placed
in a proper shrine. But the account, as given by Prior Richard, is confused,
and it is not quite certain whether the event did not take place later.^
Alured's son Eilaf succeeded him at Hexham, and like his father he
bore the honourable title of Lareow or doctor. He was appointed by
Bishops Egelric and Egelwine of Durham, and it is therefore probable that
he entered upon his office about the year 1050. His duties sat lightly upon
him, and they were no doubt performed by the priest Sproh whom he sent
to Hexham in his place.^ As treasurer of Durham he would have much to
tie him to that place, while there would be little to attract him in the
ravaged and desolated church on the Tyne. Time, however, brought with it
events which entirely altered the quiet ctirrent of his life, and severed his
connection with the church of St. Cuthbert. In the year 1071 William the
Conqueror inflicted a terrible vengeance upon the rebellious north, and
ravaged the country between the Humber and the Tyne with fire and sword.
Bishop Egelwine fled for his life, and left his see vacant. In the resulting
confusion, the Provost Uthred of Hexham offered the government of the
district he administered to the see of York.^ Archbishop Thomas I. gladly
accepted this ancient property of his predecessors, although there exists
a charter in his name by which this same district was confirmed to the
bishops of Durham.* At the same time Eilaf's position does not seem to
have been affected, and he continued to hold oflftce as the nominee of the
bishops of Durham. In the winter of 1080, however, William of St. Carilef
was consecrated bishop of Durham, and three years later he proceeded to
carry into effect a number of reforms among his clergy. The spirit of
Hildebrand had at length penetrated to the north in the person of this great
man. But he encountered a strong and obstinate resistance from the
married clergy. Bishop William in carrying out his reforms, not only
wished to eliminate the secular clergy, but insisted that none of his monks
should hold private property of his own. Eilaf would naturally be
strongly opposed to both measures, and rather than submit, he resolved to
' Symeon of Durham, Rolls series, ii. p. 32. • Bk. ii. cap. iv.
* Hexham Priory, i. app. No. iv. ' Ibid. * Supni, p. 118.
Vol. III. 16
122 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
quit Diirluun altogether. To emphasize his independence of the cliurcli of
which he had but hxtely been treasurer, he repaired to York to Archbishop
Thomas, submitted to a fresh appointment by the northern primate, and
obtained permission to rebuild the church at Hexham. By these means the
archbishops of York regained their ancient rights to the church and district
of Hexham. The transfer was not indeed complete, for the same provost
and the same priest who had been originally appointed by the bishop of
Durham still remained in office. Externally the situation did not appear to
be sensibly changed. But the archbishops had gained a sure footing in the
district, and they steadily increased their power over it.
On arriving at Hexham Eilaf must have been sorelv discouraged at the
state of things he found there. Although his father Alured had been very
active in collecting relics, and in moving the bodies of the saints, he had
apparently done very little for the building which was to shelter them.
When Eilaf reached Hexham he found everything in the most desolate
condition. The once stately building of Wilfrid now stood a dismantled
ruin, roofless, and overgrown with grass, shrubs, and trees. Nothing
remained to call to mind its former grandeur, for the work of destruction
begun by man had been effectually completed by nature. So desolate was
the district around that Eilaf was forced to support himself and his family
for two years by hunting. In spite of all these difficulties, which would
have subdued a nature less stubborn, Eilaf energetically set to work to carry
out his self-imposed task. Beginning at the east end, he addressed himself
first of all to providing for the immediate needs of the people in his charge,
and there erected an altar suitable for the limited requirements of his small
congregation. He had intended to proceed with the complete restoration of
the church, but when he had only got thus far he was surprised by death,
and forced to leave the completion of the work to his son, who bore his own
name.
The younger Eilaf was allowed to succeed his father without any
action being taken by the archbishop of York. The time was not yet
ripe for any considerable changes in these parts. Eilaf devoted himself
thoroughly to the completion of the work his father had begun. After
clearing the site of the church of the luxuriant undergrowth which encum-
bered it, he covered the building Avith a tiled roof, whitewashed its walls,
and restored some of the paintings. In the east end of the church he laid
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 23
down ;i pavement of squared stones, and erected an altar supported by
columns. The relics of the saints which lay buried in this part he carefully
dug up and prepared to place them in a shrine above the high altar. He
thought it unseemly that the bones of such holy men should be allowed to
remain in the ground. In the meantime he laid them carefully in the south
porch, which was dedicated to St. Michael, the place where the bones of
Acca had already been placed by his grandfather Alured. This precious
treasure he confided to the care of his younger brother Aldred.
The youth seems to have been animated by the family passion for relics.
Gazing one day on the great mass of bones that lay stored in the porch of
St. Michael, the idea entered his head that from so great a treasure one bone
at least might be spared. So many relics he thought might be the glory of
many churches. Yet he feared to touch these sacred bones, even though
animated by the best motives, before he had recited to himself the seven
penitential psalms. But on approaching the place where the relics lay it
seemed to him that a rush of hot air drove him back from the spot, and
warned him against his sacrilegious purpose. A second attempt met with
the same results, and convinced by the repetition of the phenomenon Aldred
resolved to let the sacred bones rest in peace.'
It was during Eilaf's administration of Hexham that Malcolm, king of
Scotland, invaded Northumberland. At first he respected Hexham abbey
and the rights of sanctuary which belonged to it. Crowds of terror-stricken
people took advantage of this immunity and flocked for safety to the sacred
spot. But it happened that one day some of the king's envoys, who were
in the neighbourhood of Hexham, fell among thieves who robbed and
maltreated them. Despoiled and wounded they returned to tell their
story to their master. Malcolm swore an oath that he would be avenged.
Laughing to scorn the priest who warned him against his sacrilegious
purpose, the king marched towards Hexham with the intention of burnino-
the town and of destroying every living thing there. The terror-stricken
people crowded round their priest, demanding protection and comfort. The
holy man could only advise them to pray and trust. That same night
Malcolm arrived on the north bank of the Tyne, and the falling darkness
alone prevented him from immediately carrying his purpose into execution.
' The above account of the two Eilafs is drawn from Aelred's discourse on tlie saints of Hexham, cap. xi.
Aeh-cd is an excellent authority, for these same Eilafs were his grandfather and father. He may be
judged too partial towards his relations, but the accuracy of his information can hardly be impugned.
I 24 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
On the other side of the river, as Eilaf hiy quietly and trustfullv sleeping,
he thought he saw two men, radiantly clothed, and mounted on white horses
riding from the south towards the town. On reaching the spot where Eilaf
stood, lost in amazement, they descended from their steeds. To their
enquiries as to the cause of the disturbance among the people and their loud
groans and lamentations, the priest related the coming of Malcolm and his
revengeful purpose. 'Fear not,' said one of them ; 'behold, in the early
twilight I will stretch out my net from the source of the Tyne to its mouth,
so that no one can cross it, or do you any harm.' The two mysterious
visitors departed, and left Eilaf convinced that he had conversed with none
other than St. Wilfrid and St. Cuthbert. It fell out as the saints had
predicted. The next morning a thick mist overhung the Tyne valley, and
the river flowed with a broad and rapid stream. Malcolm could not venture
to ford the Tyne under these circumstances. For three days he waited for
the swollen waters to abate, till at length, discerning in this intervention the
finger of Providence, the king broke up his camp and left Hexham in peace.'
The renovation of the church, the regular ministrations there, the
renown of its rediscovered saints, and the recent proofs of their power to
defend their suppliants, no doubt drew^ many fresh inhabitants to Hexham.
The increase of his congregation and advancing years led Eilaf to take a
decisive step. He thought himself unworthy to minister alone to such
renowned saints, and he found it increasingly difficult to do so owing to the
large number of persons who began to visit their shrines. He therefore
appealed to the archbishop of York to send a body of clergy who would
attend to all the necessities of divine service, for which he felt himself no
longer fit.^
The northern primates had no intention of letting Hexham slip from
their grasp when once they had regained possession of the district. Ever
since the day when the Provost Uthred had submitted to Thomas I. as his
overlord they had been tightening their hold on it. Even during the elder
' Aelrcd, de Sanctis, cap. ii. Syincon of Durham. Rolls series, ii. pp. 36-38. This is evidently a story that
has grown in being narrated. There is manifestly a large substratum of truth in it. It is strange,
however, that the protecting saints should be Wilfrid and Cuthbert, and not Acca, Eata, or Alchmund.
Symcon only mentions one person in the vision, and gives him no name.
^ -Such at least is the account given by Aelrcd, dc Sanctis, cap. xi. He may, however, have represented
his father in too favourable a light. Prior Richard gives a very different account of him: ' Mansit itaque
in hoc miserabili statu . . . ob incolarum perfidiam, et malitiam gravem saecularium et carnalium
hominum, oppressione divulsa ac pessumdata.' But then our monkish historian is also prejudiced against
the secular clergy. Probably the truth is on .\elred's side, although Eilaf certainly repented in his old
age, and died a monk at Durham. Prior Ricliard, bk- ii. cap. v.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 125
Eilaf's lifetime, Archbishop Thomas had taken a decisive step in this
direction. By adding Hexham as an endowment to the prebend of Hohn, at
York, and giving the stall to a canon of Beverley, named Richard de Maton,
he reduced Eilaf Lareow to a position of entire subordination.' The younger
Eilaf continued in the same position of inferiority and under the same head,
Richard de Maton. Thomas I. made no further alterations, and his
successor Gerard attempted none. Thomas II., however, was a man of
much more activity and energy. He had visited Hexham early in his
pontificate, and had been struck by its extreme poverty and the desolation of
the surrounding country. The appeal of Eilaf no longer permitted any
excuse for delay. In the year 1113 Archbishop Thomas had made up his
mind. The better to ensure the adequate administration of the church, he
sent to Hexham two canons, one from Beverley and the other from York.
He had recently introduced reforms into these two houses, and the new
comers, though not regular canons, were secular canons, reformed according
to the ideas of Archbishop Thomas. Those who would suffer most by the
change were by no means allowed to go away empty handed. Richard de
Maton became a canon residentiary of York in exchange for the prebend
which he surrendered. Eilaf was permitted to continue to hold the cure of
the parish, and retained a great part of its benefices, including one carucate
of land and some houses in Hexham, together with six bovates of land at
Anick.^
Eilaf received the new comers kindly, and built wooden conventual
buildings to meet their requirements with his own hands. ^ The advent of
the new canons was in all probability merely a tentative measure, intended
as a prologue to others of a more sweeping nature. The work carried out
was entirely of this character. The church was reconsecrated, and the
bodies of the saints put in more suitable places.^ Archbishop Thomas had
intended to remove the bones of Eata to York, in spite of the entreaties of
the Hexham people. But one night the saint appeared to him in a vision
and administered such a castigation that he thought better of his purpose.*
For the support of the two canons whom he had sent Thomas endowed
Hexham with the manor and township of Anick, the townships of Sandhoe
' Prior Richard, bk. ii. cap. v. = Ibid. cap. viii. * Aelred, de Sanctis, cap. xi.
* Prior Richard, bk. ii. cap. iv. Symeon of Durham (ii. p. 35) relates how Edric, one of the canons, redis-
covered the rehcs of Acca in a box containing two leaden seals. It would almost seem as if the church
had again fallen into ruins- * Surt. Soc. Biog. Misc. p. 125.
126 HEXF1AM BOROUGH.
and Yarrow-ridge, a mill on the Tyne, a thousand eels yearly, and tithes
from the whole of his property in Hexhamshire. He also granted an
annuity of iocs, to buy clothes, besides various gifts of vestments, books,
ornaments, etc' More he undoubtedly intended to do had not death
interrupted his benevolence.
The church at He.xham, however, suffered nothing by his loss, for his
successor Thurstan proved even more generous. The new archbishop
proceeded to complete the work begun by his predecessor. One of his
first acts must have been to supersede the secular canons of Thomas by a
body of regular canons under a prior named Asketill, who had been a canon
of Huntingdon."
The new canons who now entered upon the possession of the church of
Hexham belonged to the order of St. Augustine. This order had been
founded on the Continent about the middle of the eleventh century, but it
can only have been newly instituted in England at the time of the recon-
stitution of the church of Hexham. Of the regulations and institutions of
this new system, which replaced the old government by priests, there exists
no information for so early a date as the beginning of the twelfth century.
Some rules, however, of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries have been
preserved, and these may be taken as a sufficiently exact evidence of the
conditions of life under which the Austin canons were living at the time
which is being dealt with. Monastic institutions were not, as a rule, liable
to sudden and complete changes, and the regulations of the fourteenth
century would be framed in the same spirit as those which guided the life of
the canons in the twelfth century, though at the earlier period they would
naturally be more crude and less mature.
The members of the convent consisted of the prior, twentv-six canons,
and an irregular number of converst, who were qualifying for the canonicate.
From among the twenty-six canons were chosen the officials of the priory,
who were divided into two classes, the majores obcdientiarii and the
Diinores obedientiarii. Among the former were ranked the sub-prior, the
almoner, the cellarer, the bursar, the chamberlain, the terrarer, and the
sacrist. The latter class included the precentor and succentor, the sub-
sacrist and junior bursar, the keepers of the granary, refectory, and infirmary,
' Surt. Soc. Hexham Priory, ii. app. No. xxix. Prioi- Richard, bk. ii. cap. xi.
■ A drill, dc Sanctis, cap. xi.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 127
with the hostillar.' The prior represented the archbishop within the house,
and in him were vested the chief administrative powers. He was elected by
the canons, over whom, on such occasions, the sub-prior presided. The
archbishop simply consented to an election being made, and after the canons
had made their choice, he ratified it by a confirmation ; but in case of mis-
demeanour he possessed the right of deposing the prior, though apparently
he only exercised it upon one occasion during the whole history of the priory. -
The ceremony of election took the form of a solemn religious service.
After mass had been solemnised in the church, the canons proceeded to the
chapter house, where the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus was sung. A roll
call of the members of the house was then read over, and at its conclusion
the sub-prior announced that no one excommunicated, suspended, or inter-
dicted could take part in the proceedings. All secular persons and strangers
were excluded, although a lawyer or a member of a neighbouring religious
house might occasionally be present to see that all the required ceremonies
were duly carried out. The election was then proceeded with, and a
majority of two-thirds was necessary for its validity. The person chosen was
required to be a man of good life and character, a priest, well educated, of
proper age, born in lawful wedlock, and a freeman. The election being
finished, the canons returned to the church, chanting the Te Deiim, the bells
rang out, and the choice of the convent was made publicly known. Special
messengers were charged to carry the news to the archbishop, and the
election was not completed until he gave it his sanction.' The consent of the
archbishop ultimately became merely a matter of form, though he had the
power of rejecting a candidate if there happened to be some defect in the
form or manner of his election.^ The newly-elected prior was required to
visit York and to tender an oath of obedience to the archbishop. This was
conceived in the following form: 'I, brother M., prior of the monastery of
St. Andrew of Hexham, being elected and confirmed, will be faithful and
obedient to you, our venerable father in Christ and Lord, N., by the grace of
' Hexham Priory, i. app. p. xvii. An infirmarius is also mentioned, though, apparently, he did not
rank even with the niinores obedientiarii.
- John of Hexham was deposed by Archbishop Bowet in 140S for complicity in the rebellion of that
year. Ibid. pp. xciii.-iv.
' Hexham Priory, i. app. pp. cxiv.-cxx. where there is a very interesting account of the election of
William Bywell. The method of election seems to have been as old as the time of Robert Biseth, if we
may so interpret a sentence in the opening paragraph of Prior John's history: 'Substituit loco ejus
Turstinus archiep., eodem anno, electum a fratribus .... Rodbertum Biseth.'
' This right was exercised by Archbishop Giffard circa 1270. Ibid. p. xxii.
128 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
God archbishop of York, primate of England, etc., and to your successors.
So help me God and the holy gospel of God. And I sign this with my own
hand.'^ The prior was the father of his convent, and his rule was to be by
love and gentleness rather than by compulsion and power. He had direct
jurisdiction over the major es obedienttarii, and might remove any one of
them from his place except the sub-prior. He also decided upon all the
most important matters of the monastery : the admission of canons, the
alienation of possessions, perpetual leases, and such matters. In all these
things, however, he was obliged to consult the members of the house, and
patiently to hear the opinions of the youngest as well as of the oldest.
Although his voice was apparently equal to that of all the other canons, yet
he could decide nothing against the opposition of the whole of them ; and in
the event of such a division arising, the archbishop was to decide the cause.
Each week he read out before all the brethren the rules of the order. The
whole system of discipline being under his control, no canon could leave the
monastery without his consent, and it was he who visited all transgressors
with punishment. Though incapable of holding property, all the secular
business passed through his hands. He had a house allotted to him, and
was allowed all his travelling expenses, together with those of a canon who
might accompany him. Once every year he enquired into the state of the
monastery, and each obcdicutiariits was obliged to render an account of his
office and duties.
Great as the powers of the prior might seem to be, he could never for
one moment consider himself exempt from the jurisdiction of the archbishop.
For all alienations of property, perpetual leases, and pensions, the consent of
the primate was essential. Even the privilege of electing a prior was
conceded to the canons rather as a favour than as a right, and the archbishop
usually expected to receive in return a pension of four or five marks a year
in favour of some person nominated by himself. Archiepiscopal visitations
were not infrequent, and the primate from time to time sent injunctions that
the rules of the order should be better observed, added provisions of his
own, rebuked any breaches of discipline or laxity of manners, and even
pointed out offenders for punishment.
The sub-prior acted as the head of the monastery during the prior's
absence. He was, after the prior, the most important person of the house,
^Hexham Priory, i. app. p. Ixxvii.
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THE CHURCH AND PR[ORY OF ST. ANDREW. I 29
and kept one of the three keys of the conventual chest.^ The names of the
other obedientiarii sufBciently indicate their duties. The terrarer was to act
with a Uivnian appointed by the prior ; the bursar was obliged to render an
account of all the moneys he had received to the prior and senior canons
twice everv year. The terrarer and cellarer, moreover, possessed some sort
of power over the prior himself. They were to see that the prior kept the
courtyard free from pedlars, sutlers, and stray dogs, and if he neglected to
do so thev were instructed to report him to the archbishop.
The number of canons was to be maintained at twenty-six, chosen by the
prior and convent from fit and suitable persons. The rules under which
they lived were designed to enforce the maintenance of regular services in
the church ; the poverty, chastity, and sobriety of the canons ; and the duties
of hospitality and almsgiving. No canon was allowed to have any property
except such as might be entrusted to him for the common benefit. No
woman was to enter the claustrum, and the doors of the monastery were to be
closed at sunset. Simplicity and severity of life were enjoined by numerous
regulations. The canons were to leave the refectory immediately the meal
was concluded, after singing Salve Regina. They were forbidden to go
hunting, and could not even own a horse. Games such as draughts or chess
were prohibited, even in the infirmary. They were forbidden to meddle in
secular affairs except when appealed to, and even then only with the consent
of the prior. Sick canons enjoyed but little relaxation of this severe
discipline, and strenuous regulations provided against any attempts that
might be made at pretended illness in the infirmary. Once in the year, after
the feast of St. John the Baptist, the canons were allowed a short holiday of
six days, which they might spend in some neighbouring manor house. For
this purpose they were divided into four groups, and each party took its
holiday in turn.
Although the duties of hospitality and of relieving the poor were
strictly enjoined, only respectable persons might be admitted as guests. On
the rare occasions when a person of importance visited the priory the prior
might break the ordinary rule, and stay after the meal was over, to converse
with his guest. The poor were to receive alms in kind and not in money.
Brotherly love and concord were to reign supreme among the canons, and
most severe were the penalties inflicted on those who stirred up strife.
' The other two keys were kept by the prior and a canon elected by the convent.
Vol. 111. 17
130
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Thoueh no canon was allowed to hide the fault of another, vet no brother
was to accuse another unless he could prove the charge.'
The new canons required increased means of support, and Thurstan did
not intend to be less generous than his predecessor had been. Besides a
large number of messuages in Hexham town, he gave them the township of
Dotland, both the Grotingtons, and a tithe on all animals kept in the liberty.
Nor was the church itself forgotten, for he provided it with several relics,
two magnificent candelabra, and several other ornaments. The rich prebend
of Salton, in Yorkshire, was also added to the Hexham property, and the
prior became a canon residentiary of York by virtue of his office. The old
connection with Holm was thus broken off once and for all." So great was
Thurstan's liberality that he, and not Archbishop Thomas, was regarded as
the actual founder of the priory.
The archbishops of York had now entered into full possession of Hexham
with its appurtenances. The action of Thomas H. and Thurstan had con-
solidated a claim that had long been growing in force. Royal and papal con-
firmations alone were necessary to complete the title, and these also speedily
came into the possession of the archbishops. Henry I. is reported to have
quarrelled with Ranulf Flambard, bishop of Durham, and in consequence to
have deprived him of Hexham, and to have given it to York.' If this be true
it must have happened about this time, for Henry's reign began in the year
iioo and Flambard died in September, 1128. The king's liberality did not
end here, for about the same time he granted that all the lands of St. Peter and
St. John of Beverley, St. Mary of Southwell, St. Wilfrid of Ripon, and Hex-
ham should be free from liability to military service, and the exactions of the
castellans, as they had been in the time of his father and brother (William I.
and William H.).'' In the great charter by which Henry I. confirms the
possessions of the see of York, Hexham is not expressly mentioned, though
it is probably tacitly included. In a bull of Pope Calixtus II., circa 11 19,
Hexham is included by name among the archiepiscopal possessions,'^ and
from this time forward the title of the archbishop was never disputed.
' This short account of the regulations of the Austin canons of Hexham has been compiled from a
series of injunctions made by Archbishops Godfrey de Ludham, Greenfield, and Melton between the years
1265-1307. Hexham Priorv, i. Illustrative Documents, Nos. xiii. xv. and xxv. They may be compared
with the rule and constitutions of the Augustinian order.
- Prior Richard, bk. ii. cap. xi. ; Surt. Soc. Hexham Priory, ii. app. No. xxix. It is probable that the prior
occupied a stall at York as the successor of Richard de Maton. ' Hexham Priory, i. p. 220. The extract
is taken from the Cottonian MS. Titus A. ii. 160-1. It is a compilation of the fifteenth century.
'Suit. Soc. Memorials of Ripon, p. 93. ^Hexham Pn'oz-y, Illustrative Documents, No. vii. f/. preface, p. Iviii.
THE CHURCH AND I'RKJRY OF ST. ANDREW. I3I
The claims of Durham seem never to have been seriously advanced to
contest the continual encroachments of York. The old connection between
Hexham and Durham died out without a struggle, and nothing but a few
unimportant customs remained to show that it had ever existed. In the
year 1174 an agreement was come to between the archbishop of York and
the bishop of Durham as to what these customs should be. The chapel and
cemetery of Allenton' were to be in the hands of the prior of Hexham,
and neither the archbishop nor the bishop was to exercise any control over
them. The prior was to attend the Durham synods, and was to receive the
sacred chrism from the Durham church. The parishioners of Hexham
might if they pleased visit Durham at Whitsuntide. The prior of Hexham
was to judge all the suits of his parishioners and distribute punishments.
The clergy and canons of Hexham were to receive their orders from the
bishop of Durham. The bishops of Durham also advanced some pretentions
to take part in the election of a new prior.^
How little account was taken of the above agreement may be seen by
the way in which Prior Richard treats the whole question in his history.
After roundly declaring that Hexham never had depended on the bishopric
of Durham, he goes on to say that the prior or a canon could be summoned
to Durham, but only for ecclesiastical questions, that the chrism might be
received from York or Durham at will, and that the prior might send his
clerks to be ordained to whichever church he preferred.^ So completely
were these provisions forgotten in the sixteenth century that the archbishop
of York could ask the bishop of Durham to ordain some canons to Hexham
as a favojir, as the following letter clearly shows :
Too the right reverende fadre in God, mye veray good lorde, my lorde of Duresme, is good lordeshipp.
My veraye good lorde. Aftre mye hertiest commendacion. I have a litle lordeshippe adjoininge too
youre diocese, nyar, as I am enfourmed, too Duresme than too Yorke, called Hexham. I praye youre
lordshippe that if the prior of the monasterie of the saied He.xham sende too the sayme for orders anye
' i.e., Allendale Town.
• ' Capella el cimiterium de Alventona in manu Prioris Hagustald. erunt ita quod archiepiscopus non
coget aliquem ibi sepeliri nee episcopus prohibebit. Ecclesia Hagustald. crisma et oleum recipiet a
Dunelmensi ecclesia sicut solet. Prior quoque veniet ad synodum Uunelmensem. Clerici et canonici
Hagustald. ab episcopo Dunelmensi ordines recipient. Parochiani Hagustald. in Pentecosten, visitabunt,
si volucrint, ecclcsiam Uunelmensem sine coactione episcopi vel suorum et sine prohibitione archiepiscopi
vel suorum. Quod si hoc facere praesumpserint ipsi domini corrigent. Prior Hagustald. omnia placita
parochiae placitabit, sine poena pecuniaria, et poenitentias dabit. Decadente vero Priore Ricardo, qui
nunc est, earn auctoritatem habebit episcopus Dunelmensis in alterius prioris constitutione, quam idem
Prior Ricardus, et Prior Guisebertus et Petrus frater prioris de Brenlynton, juraverunt ecclesiam
Dunelmensem habuisse in constitutione ejusdem Prioris Ricardi si quam habuisse eam juraverint.' Rolls
series, Historians oj York, iii. 79. ^ Bk. ii. cap. iii.
132
HEXHAM BOROUGH,
of his brotherin, tliat you vvolbe contente, there quahtis beingc conveniente for suche orders as they
demannde, too admitt them atnong youre owne. I slialbc glad to doo hcke pleasor for you whan I maye.
And thus faire you hcrtlye well. From Stockwell, the xxiiij'" daye of Marcli, 1531 [1532]- Yo' lovinge
Ijrojgr Edwarde Lee Ebor.'
It seems hardly probable that the bishops of Durham looked with
complete equanimity upon the alienation of their former property, and the
energy with which Richard asserts the independence of Hexham may
indicate that the claim was contested. Be that as it may, the arrangement
of 1 1 74 evidently marks an advanced stage in the decline of the claims of
Durham, rather than an assertion and confirmation of rights and duties.
In spite of the munificent liberality of Thomas and Thurstan, the canons
at Hexham suffered severely from want during the early years of their resi-
dence there. Eilaf, the priest, remained in possession of a great part of the
endowments, which had descended to him from his grandfather and father, and
which he had apparently come to regard as his own private property. With
praiseworthy self-denial the canons cheerfully accepted this one-sided arrange-
ment, and lived on terms of complete cordiality with Eilaf.^ Prior Asketill,
a man of great tact and of genial and conciHatorv manners, no doubt fostered
these friendly relations, and the little community eked out its scanty means
as best it might. When Asketill died, the same situation continued under his
successor, Robert Biseth, who was elected from among the canons.'
With increasing age and infirmities, however, Eilaf began to reflect
seriously upon his selfishness. In 1 138 he was seized with a severe illness at
Durham, and felt that
his end was approaching.
Summoning Prior Biset
to his bedside, he handed
over his possessions to
him and his community
in the presence of several witnesses, among whom was the historian Richard.
As a pledge of the validity of the transfer he presented the priory church
with a crucifix in silver filagree work, containing some relics of Acca and
Alchmund. Being received into the order of St. Benedict at Durham, he
soon after died, a monk of that society.''
Good fortune, like the reverse, usually comes in a flood, and the canons
' MSS. Durham, b. iv. 26, fol. 46. Printed in Hexham Priory, i. Ilhistrative Documents, No. xciii.
^ Prior Richard, bk. ii. cap. viii. ' Prior John, 1 130 A.D. * Prior Richard, bk. ii. cap. ix.
Ancient Tombstone to a boy — Plier Jurdanus.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 33
of Hexham must have enjoyed no little prosperity about this time. The
liberality of Thurstan excited the emulation of other benefactors. Gifts of
land poured in upon the new priory, among the donors being David, king
of Scotland, and Henry, his son ; Robert de Setun ; Forno ; William, son of
Ulf ; Sundulf, the priest ; Randulf de Merlai ; and Riched, mother of
Robert Delaval.' The wooden erections of Eilaf had already been replaced
by stone buildings before the death of Asketill.^ The glory and prosperity
of Hexham priory seemed assured.
But events soon showed how precarious was the condition of the priory,
situated as it was on the marches, and how little the prior and canons could
rely upon the security of their property, the immunity of their church, or
even their own personal safety.
To the strong and wise government of Henry I. succeeded, in 1135, all
the miseries of a disputed succession between Stephen and Mathilda. When
King David of Scotland had decided to embrace the cause of his niece the
peace of the Borders at once became compromised. In the year 1137 the
Scots crossed into Northumberland, burning, ravishing, and slaying wherever
they went. But whatever excesses he might be guilty of elsewhere King
David respected the monastery of Hexham and its right of sanctuary, and
granted to the canons a charter by which he conferred upon them perpetual
peace and immunity from the violence of his subjects. While the storm
raged round it on every side, the grey walls of Hexham abbey stood out in
the midst of an island of security and peace, to which crowds of terrified
country people fled for refuge.^
But the king and his officers had no little difficulty in inspiring their
rough and unruly followers with the same feelings of piety and veneration
they themselves possessed. A rich and powerful Scot actually attempted to
despoil Hexham of its riches, and the righteous anger of some valiant
Hexham youths alone put an end to his life and his nefarious purpose. The
Scots stationed at Warden were witnesses of the affrav, and their com-
mander, William FitzDuncan, could with difficulty restrain their excited
demands to go down and avenge their countrymen.*
After the Battle of the Standard the defeated Scots returned in no
contented humour to Northumberland. The priory church continued to
' Prior Rirhard, bk. ii. cap. xii. ■ Aelrcd dc Sanctis, cap. xi. " Prior Richard dc Gcstis.
* Prior John, A.D. 1 138.
134 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
enjoy its former iinniunitv, but the prior, who happened to be at Dissington,
did not escape insult, and two of his servants were slain by a marauding
band under Eadgar, bastard son of Earl Cospatric'
The troubled and unsettled state of the north might well have con-
tinued had not the appearance of a peacemaker upon the scene brought
about the cessation of hostilities. In the month of September, 1138, the
legate Alberic, bishop of Ostia, visited the north of England, and rested
awhile at Hexham, where he probably inspected the monastery. Soon after
he passed on from Hexham to Carlisle where he met King David of Scot-
land. There he laid the complaints of the prior before the king who
willingly promised that full restitution should be made.^ The kings of Scot-
land were anxious to maintain friendly relations with the Hexham canons.
They had considerable interests at stake in Northumberland and Cumber-
land, and a good understanding with Hexham would make their position in
these districts more secure. King David always showed himself kind and
considerate, whilst William the Lion was a munificent benefactor.
The close of the Scotch invasion inaugurated a long period of peace and
prosperity for Hexham. The immunity it enjoyed during the war and the
shelter it had given to numerous refugees could not fail to greatly increase
its reputation. The bounds of the sanctuary had been re-arranged by
Archbishop Thurstan, and various penalties assigned to those who should
break it, according to the degree of their guilt. The culminating point was
the crime of snatching a fugitive from off the fridstol, and for this offence
alone no money compensation could be accepted, it was botolos?
The Scotch troubles were hardly over before Prior Robert determined
to resign his charge. He had been brought under the influence of St.
Bernard, and wished to adopt a rule more severe than that of the Austin
canons. He became a Cistercian in 1141, and left Hexham.^ His loss was
not perhaps so severely felt as that of another man might have been.
Though learned and deeply religious he was, like so many rulers in the
Middle Ages, a better saint than administrator.* He was succeeded in 1 142
by Richard, one of the canons of the house, and author of the History of the
Church of Hexham and of The Acts of King Stephen. Unfortunately he is
' Prior Richard dc Gestis. - Ibid. Prior John, 1 13S. ^ Prior Richard, bk. ii. cap. xiv.
* Prior John, 1 141. His resignation may possibly be connected with the visit of Alberic.
' Aelred dc Sanctis, cap. xi. ' Magis religioni, quam exteriorum administrationi aptus.'
THE CHURCH AND I'RIOKY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 35
very reticent about himself, but he was alive in 1174 at the time when the
agreement between the sees of Durham and York was made. He must have
died soon after, for John who succeeded him was witness to a deed to which
Ada, the mother of William the Lion, was a party, who died in 1 178.' The
chief event in the history of Hexham that took place during Richard's
priorate was the translation of the relics on 3rd March, 1154. With many
solemnities and ceremonies the tombs of the saints were visited, and their
identity established by inscriptions found in them. The remains of Acca,
Alchmund, Fritheberht, and Eata were thus identified, and those of Tilberht
were connected with his name by tradition. The new arrangement of the
relics was then proceeded with. A richly decorated tabula being set up
near the high altar, the bones of Acca, Alchmund, Fritheberht, and Tilberht
were placed in a chest in the centre. Those of Eata and Babylas, bishop of
Antioch, rested in separate chests on the south and north sides respectively.
The ceremony of the day and the glories of the saints were perpetuated by
Aelred, who wrote an account of both, intending to keep the canons of
Hexham in mind of the splendour and historic interest of their house. ^
John, who succeeded Richard about the last quarter of the twelfth
century, though equally a historian, and the author of a chronicle, has left us
no record of himself. The exact date of his death is not known, but it must
have been before 1209, when one William, prior of Hexham bought land at
Edston and Holme. ^
The annals of the priory during the thirteenth century are exceedingly
meagre. Although the period was one of singular prosperity no chronicler,
no Richard or John, thought fit to write its history. One shadowy person
succeeds another as ruler of the house. The saying, ' happy the country
whose annals are vacant ' was never better illustrated, for Hexham never
enjoyed so much good fortune at any other period. Throughout the reign
of Henry HI. gifts poured in upon the abbey church. With increasing
wealth came the desire to erect more beautiful and more extensive buildings.
' Hexham Priory, i. preface, p. clii. There is some doubt as to the time of Prior Richard's death.
Aelred, in his account of the saints of Hexham (cap. xi.), refers to Richard in the words 'cum esset in
saeculo,' which might imply that the historian was already dead. Aelred himself died in 1167 (Surt. Soc.
Liber Vitte, p. 141), and so Richard's decease may possibly have taken place before that date. The only
alternative in the face of the mention of Richard in the charter of 1 174 seems to be in supposing that there
were two Richards, in succession who were priors of Hexham. On the other hand, it is hardly likely, if
this were the case, that some effort would not have been made to distinguish one Richard from the other,
but of any such attempt there is no trace. Moreover, the argumentative attitude of Richard in his history,
with respect to Durham, tallies ver>' well with the reference to Richard in the charter of 1 174.
° Aelred de Sanctis, caps. ,\i. xiii. ' Hexham Priory, i. preface, p. clviii.
136 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
The church of Wilfrid and Eilaf was replaced by a new priory in the style of
the thirteenth century. With the exception of Wilfrid's crypt and modern
restorations the whole of the church as it now stands dates from this period.
It seems strange that no documentary evidence should exist to confirm the
testimony so clearly given by the stones themselves. No chronicles,
rolls or other documents throw any light upon a work which must have
occupied many years, and which, during its progress, must have absorbed the
attention of all interested in the priory.
But little occurred to distract the attention of the Hexham canons from
their devotions and their building. About the middle of the century,
however, they became engaged in a quarrel with the bishop of Durham,
Nicholas de Farnham, with regard to the advowson of Stamfordham. Prior
Bernard refused to present one of Nicholas's clergy to the living, but the
bishop found means whereby he speedily reduced him to submission. The
prior received the disputed right of advowson from the hands of the bishop
to be exercised, no doubt, by his favour. From the five townships of Matfen,
East Nesbit, Ulkeston (Ouston ?), Hawkwell, and Bitchfield, over whose
chapels the priory had probably claimed similar rights, it now only received
tithes of sheaves.^
Long peace and prosperity apparently exercised an unwholesome effect
upon the Hexham canons. Even so early as 11 52 Archbishop Murdac
considered their discipline too lax, and wished for greater severity.''' When
Archbishop Ludham visited the priory in 1260 he found that the rules of the
order were not strictly observed, and that there was not the proper number of
canons. He drew up a new set of rules, and enjoined their observance.^ Nine
years later, the canons of Hexham, after much wrangling, elected Richard
of York to succeed their late prior, John of Lasenby. Archbishop Giffard,
however, annulled the election, because the requisite majority of two-thirds
had not been obtained, and also because Richard had not been born in
lawful wedlock."* In the place of the rejected candidate, he nominated
Henry de Merdene, prior of Oseney, to the vacant post. On Martinmas day,
1269, the newly-appointed prior left his pleasant abode at Oxford for the
' Ancient Petitions, No. 9077. The names of the five chapels are given in the Inspeximus of 1298.
See p. 141.
- ' Canonicis in eadeni ecclesia plurimam austeritatem quarundam institutionum superaddere studuit.
Prior John, 11 52.
= Hexham Priory, i. app. pp. xvii.-x.\ii. * Ibid. p. xxii.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OP' ST. ANDREW. 1 37
wild and rugged north.' The canons of Hexham appear to have oifered no
resistance to the action of the archbishop, and the absence of any records of
the government of Merdene, probably indicates a quiet and uneventful reign.
The improvement in the discipline of the house, which was no doubt
intended by this change, was not maintained. When Archbishop Romayne
visited Hexham in the time of Merdene's successor, William del Clav, he
complained that the discipline was loosely observed, and added fresh regula-
tions to those imposed by Archbishop Ludham."
Before long the hand of the reformer was rudely stayed by the sword of
the destroyer. The lengthy peace between England and Scotland had at
last been broken. In x\pril, 1296, the Scots poured into Northumberland,
committing everywhere those excesses and depredations that had made their
name a terror and a curse in the country. Unprotected by the wise
magnanimity of a David or a William, Hexham no longer commanded their
respect, and shared the fate of the surrounding country. Its beautiful
church was fired, its priceless relics wantonly thrown into the flames, and
the gold and gems that adorned its shrines were torn off and carried
away by the triumphant invaders. With a barbarous cruelty, distinguished
even among their other excesses, the Scots blocked up the doors of the
Hexham school, and set fire to the building, which was full of young
scholars. Even their own patron saint could not command their respect,
and they cut off the head of the image of St. Andrew, observing, amid loud
laughter, that he might return and plough his own country. Pious
onlookers thought they heard the muttered thunder of heaven's wrath at
these atrocities.'
Little more than a year later, another Scotch army, under Wallace,
crossed the Border. After gaining a complete victory over the English
army at Stirling, they advanced to Durham, but being driven back from the
shrine of St. Cuthbert bv a storm, thev retired to Hexham. The whole
body of the canons had not returned since the disasters of 1296, but three of
their number, bolder than the rest, had taken up their abode in Hexham
in order to administer to the spiritual needs of the scattered population. On
' Rolls series, Ann. Monast. iv. p. 229. - Hexham Priory, i. app. p. xxiii.
^ Cliroii. Lanercost, pp. 175-6. 'Andreu se doit, Ou il est mort, Al Moustier, L'Escos ke fia, Quant il
ona, Le rei parler.' Camden Soc. Politiaii Songs, p. 301. ' Edward, parmy tuz vos reisuns, Volez penser
des arsouns, Du temple Deu omnipotent, Ad Exlysham, ou eel hoste, De la croix fesait roste, Fig^ure de
humaine salvement, Herodes i fert, I'emphle meurt, En teste anguisse Rachael plourt, Edward or fa le
vengement.' Ibid. Cf. also p. 287.
Vol. III. 18
138 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
the approach of the Scots they withdrew to the sanctuary, resolved if
necessary to meet their death there. The invaders broke into the holy place
without scruple, and called out, ' Show us the treasures of your church or
you shall all die on the spot.' But one of the canons, in no way terrified
by their fierce words and the brandishing of their weapons, reminded the
plunderers with dignity that they should best know where the treasures of
the church might be found. 'It is some time ago,' he said, 'since you
carried away almost all our goods into your own country. We have only
been able to search out the few things that you see before you here.' At
this moment Wallace very opportunely came in, and quieting his unruly
followers, asked that mass might be celebrated. After the elevation of the
host, Wallace went out, and the priest who was celebrating went into the
sacristy to wash his hands. When he returned to the altar, he found, to
his dismay, that the chalice, the napkins, and other furniture of the altar had
disappeared. He had nothing with which to finish the service, and his
perplexity and confusion in the face of that hostile congregation may well be
imagined. At this moment Wallace re-entered and learned the facts of the
case. He at once ordered the culprits to be searched for, threatening them
with instant decapitation. The Scots made a great show of looking for the
guilty men, but their search naturally proved fruitless. Wallace perceived
that his influence had no weight against the greed of the plundering
tribesmen, and he advised the canons to keep close to him and never to
leave him. He soon afterwards gave them two charters guaranteeing their
lands, men, and all their possessions. The Scotch invaders departed for their
own country a few days later on.^
But in spite of the departure of their enemies, the main body of the
canons did not at once return to Hexham. They had been reduced by their
losses to the utmost penury, and their estates were laid waste on every side.
The very charters from which they derived their title to the estates of the
priory had perished, and they could no longer tell what they might call their
own. In November, 1297, Archbishop Newark asked the prior and canons
of Bridlington to receive and entertain their unfortunate brethren.^ But
o
' Hfiiry de Knyghton (Rolls series), i. pp. 385-6. This story, so remarkable for its minute details and
graphic description, 'was probably,' says Canon Raine, 'told to the historian by his brother canon,
William de Hexham, who migrated from the north to Leicester in 1321.' Hexham Priory, i. preface,
p. Ixxxiii.
' Hexham Priory, i. app. p. xxvi. Others were entertained at Brinkburn, and the canons there asked
to be excused a corrody on this account. Surt. Soc. Brinliburn Chartulary, p. 357.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW.
'39
meanwhile efforts were being made to re-establish them in their ancient
abode. In the year 1298, Edward I. appointed a commission to sit at
Newcastle and enquire what lands had belonged to the priory before the late
invasions. The award of these commissioners was afterwards confirmed by
the king, and the canons were thus protected against the evils that might
have resulted from the loss of their title deeds. This award, known as the
Inspeximus of 1298, from the first word of the king's charter of con-
firmation,^ is here appended :
Inspeximus of i298.'
Description of Property.
Church of Hexham, with appurtenances
Manor and vill of Aynewyk
Vills of Sandhou and Yaru rigg
Tyne mill and pond, with appurtenances
^Ih of all in liberty of Hexham appertaining to arch-
bishop
All district in Hexham town called Cokeshou
24 messuages in Prestpofifel ward ...
14 „ Vicus fori „
16 „ Hennecotes „
Vill of Dotteland, Knitelhesell, both Grotintons
j\yth of all animals in liberty ... ... ...
i vill of Bingfield
6 marks rent in Bingfield ...
2 water mills in Hamburne and Newbiging, and 80
acres of land, with suits of all essarts
I rood of land in Akum
I rood „ Walle ...
I rood „ Haliden
I rood „ Kepwyk
I rood „ Catteden
I rood „ Ninebenk
1 rood „ Rouley ... ... ... ... '
Entire manor of Warden with church, and chapels of
Stayncroft, Hayden, and Langley
40 acres land, 6 acres meadow-, 2 messuages in Sadel-
ingstanes
2 messuages and 40 acres of land, and ids. rent in
Qwyneteley
All land of Byres, and common of pasture without
bounds of said town
Name of Donor.
Thomas II., archbishop of
York ...
i Thomas II., archbishop
Thurstan, archbishop
Germund
Robert de Skipton
Archbishop Walter Grey
Archbishops Walter Grey
and Walter Gifiard
Adam de Tyndal, confirmed
by bishop of Durham
Adam de Sadelingstan
Adam de Thorngrafiton
Adam de Tyndal ...
Date of Acquisition.
1 1 13.
1 1 13.
27th Dec, 1289.
4th Aug., 1226.
1216-55, 1265-79-
' ' Edwardus, etc., Inspeximus quandam inquisitionem quam per dilectos, etc., nuper fieri fecimus.'
'This charter has been printed in the second volume of Canon Raine's Hc.fham Priory, pp. 107-17,
and in Hodgson, Northumberland, III. ii. pp. 156-70, the latter, however, from a very incorrect copy.
LjO
HEXHAM ROROUGH.
Description of Property.
Mill of Alrewess...
I carucate of land in Alrewes, with appurt. in Oulemers
Church of Cholverton, with its chapels, viz., Birteley, 1
Chipchesse, Goncwarton, Est Swynebumc, Little I
Heton, Colewelle ... ... ... ... I
8 bovates of land in vill of Cholverton, as endowment [
of church, and 5 acres called Michel-croft on north I
side of the church ... ... ... ... ]
Hamlet of Beuinond
1 toft and 7 acres land in Birteley ...
All land and pasture of Colden
Common pasture on moor of Gunv\arton for 3cxd cattle
coming from Colden
2 tofts and 30 acres land in vill of Barweforde
2 tofts and 2 bovates of land in vill of Chestrehorp ...
I carucate of land in Neuton in Cokedal
Common pasture for 32 oxen, 10 cows, and 240 sheep
in Cole well
Manor of Little Heton and Caldestrother
I toft and 6 acres land in Little Babington ...
Also 2 tofts 3i acres, common pasture for 1 5 cattle, 60
sheep, 2 horses
3 tofts and barn, 2 bovates, 12 acres land in vill of
Gonewarton ...
Church of Slaveley for own use, and i carucate with '
appurt. as its endowment, and common pasture there (
for 260 sheep ... ... ... ... ... 1
Common pasture in le Stele for 260 sheep ... ... ■'
I house and i acre land in vill of Chipches ...
£1 3s. 4d. rent for 8 messuages in Newcastle-on-Tyne
£1 3s. 2d. rent from 15 messuages in vill of Corbrigg
I messuage, 7 acres land in Hayden, and common
pasture for 260 sheep ...
I acre land in field of West .Swyneburne
Whole manor of Milneburne, with common pasture in
moor of Crekelagh
All land of Stelden in exchange for £\ 3s. a year
service
Demesne of vill of Whitefeld, i6s. 4d. rent ...
Moor called Karraue-sid ...
Hamlet of Carrawer
I carucate land in Rischeles and common pasture of
Hetheneshalgh
I toft and 30 acres land in Stayncroft
6 tofts and l carucate in Thirlewall
Common pasture for 80 cattle, 80 mules, 40 pigs, 80
goats
Pasture called Presdale ... ... ... ...•,
8 messuages and i carucate in Aldeneston ... ...f
Name of Donor.
Uctred de Alrewes
Richard, bailiff of Hexham.
Odenell de Umframvil
Gilbert de Umframvill
Ric. de Umframvill
Ric. de Umframvill
Radulf de Gunwarton
Margerie de Umframvill ...
Radulf de Gonewarton
Walter de Insula ...
Walter Corbet
Alina de Bolum ; James de
Cans and his wife Alisia ...
Stephen Bataillie ...
Gilbert de Wircestre
Radulf de Gonewarton and
Thurkilly de Cadeiou
Gilbert de Slaveley, con-
firmed by bishop of Durham
Robert de Insula ...
Divers people
Divers people
Adam de Tindal ...
Jn. de Wirecestre...
The. de Dyvelston
Abbot of Newminster
Wm., king of Scotland
Wm., king of Scotland
Ric. Corny n
Ric. Comyn
Bricius de Thirlewall and
Roger, his son ...
Ivo de Veteri Ponte
Date of Acquisition.
circa 1270.
icmp. Henr)' III.
iemp. Edward I.
temp. Henry III.
Ump. Henry III.
temp. Henry III.
temp. Henry
Ill
25th May, 12
185.
1 1 74-8.
1 174-8.
1 2 th century.
1 2th centur)'.
temp. Henry III.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW.
141
Description of Property.
Ss. rent in Teket ...
13s. 4d. rent in mill of Ehington ...
8s. rent in Aklschel
2 manor of Echewyk
10 acres land there
7 acres „
135. 8d. rent in vill of Stokesfeld, paying 7s. a year t
the custody of the castle
3s. rent there
5 tofts, 10 bovates, 3 acres meadow in Thornton
Manor and 3 acres land in Benwell
2 acres land, i6s. rent in vill of Throkelagh...
Manor, 6 messuages, 3 carucates in East Matfen
I toft, 2 bovates in Stannington, also is. 6d. rent there
I maik rent in Brinkelagh mill
1 toft and croft, 423 acres common pasture for 400
sheep and their lambs in vill of Whalton ...
8s. rent in vill of Riplengton
2 fisheries in Tyne, 1 place for drying nets at Dripint
tell and Foul ...
I toft, 2 carucates in vill of Stanfordeham ...
Manor of Cheseburgh, Nesebith
Portion of church of Stanefordham
10 garbs of 5 churches : Mathfen, Est Nesbith
Ulkeston, Haukewell, Bechefeld...
Manor of Stelling ; I toft and 2 acres land in New-
bigging on sea ; 40s. rent in vill of Scton ...
Name of Donor.
Laurence de Teket
Ivo de Veteri Ponte
Hen. de Graham ...
Robert, son of Hubert Dcla-
val, and his mother Richolda
Tho. de Echewyk...
Peter de Faudon ...
Wm., son of Boso...
John, son of Helias
Wm. de Insula, confirmed by
Walter de Bolbek
Hugh Delaval
Rob. de Ivestanes and Chris
tine de Throkelagh
Tho. de Fenewyke, con
finned by Robert de Insula
Roger de Merlay ...
Hen. de Ferlington
Walter, son of Wm., and
Isabella, his wife
Roger Bertram
Jn. de Normanvill, confirmed
by lord of Balliol
Date of Acquisition.
temp. Henry III.
circa 11 38.
temp. Henry III.
temp. Henry III.
temp. Henry III.
tciHp. Henry III.
temp. Henry III.
temp. Henry III.
Nicholas, bishop of Durham cina 1242.
Also 4 bovates and 5s. 6d. rent from mill there
I toft and 8 acres land in vill of Prodehou ...
Chief messuage. Est Swinburne
Homage by John of East Swinburne
Homage of heirs of Nich. de West Swinburne and
service of 3s. for chantry chapel of West Swinburne
Homage of John de Cambhou for lands in Little Heton
and Caldstrother
Homage of Ric. de Thirlwall and 3s. rent for land he
holds in Thirlewall
Homage of Adam de Whitelagh and service of 4s. rent
Homage of Thos. son of Richard, son of Bricius de
Thirlewall for lands in Thirlewall
Homage of John de Normanvill for .Stokesfeld and
Apetreley for service of 13s. 8d. ...
Homage of Robert de Ribil and service of los. rent, 3
suits a year at prior's court
Bernard de Balliol
Radulf de Gonewarton
Wm. de Dalton ...
Ric. de Umframvill
I Hugo de Balliol
Jn. de Wircestre ...
Alina de Bolom, Jas. de Cauz
and Alesia his wife
Bricius de Thirlewall and his
son Roger
Adam de Tindale ...
Adam de Tindale ...
Wm., son of Boso...
Theophania de la Bataillie...
temp. Henry III.
142
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Description of Property. Name of Donor. Date o Acquisition.
Homage of Matt, de VVhitefeld for lands in Whitcfcld,
rent 1 6s. 8d. ... ... ... ... ... Wm., king of Scotland ... 1165-1214.
Homage of Robert de Throkelagh for lands held there Robt. de Ivestanes and
Christiana de Throkelagh
Tithe grange with gaiden in vill of Est Swyneburne ... Hugh de Balliol ... ...
This list includes only the property held by the priory in Northumber-
land. The priory also held considerable estates in Yorkshire, Durham, and
Cumberland. Thurstan had given them Salton, and about the same time
they probably received four bovates of land in Givendale from William son
Tomb of Gilbert dk Umfraville and his Wife.
of Ulf. King David of Scotland gave them two houses in Carlisle, and the
grant of Isell in Cumberland may probably be referred to Waldeve, a
younger son of Earl Cospatric.^
Some payments were due to the archbishop in lieu of services.
Apparently these only amounted to ^8 os. 4d. in 1298, and were to be paid
from the lands given by Archbishops Grey and Giffard. In the time of
Archbishop Zouche these payments had risen to ^11 2s. 2jd.^ The bishops
of Durham also possessed rights in the churches of Chollerton, Warden,
' Prior Richard, bk. v. cap. xii.; see note, Hexham Priory, i. p. 59.
■ Hexham Priory, ii. app. No. xlv. Zouche was archbishop from May 2nd, 1340, to July 19th, 1352.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 43
Slaley, and Stamfordham, and about the year 1340 Bishop Bury remitted a
pension of 50 marks due to him from the last named place, on account of the
poverty of the Hexham canons.'
The prosperity of the priory reached its height just previous to the
Scottish invasion. But from that time it rapidly declined. The Statute of
Mortmain made further acquisitions exceedingly difficult to obtain. Border
feuds and a continual state of war with the Scots exposed the lands of the
priory to invasion and plunder, so that rents steadily fell until the time of
the dissolution. When the canons returned to Hexham after the invasions
of 1296 and 1297, they found the value of their property diminished by at
least one-third. They had a cheerless task before them. The ruin and
desolation that met them at every turn would have tried the fortitude of the
strongest. To add to their other troubles, they speedily became involved
in strained relations with the archbishop.
William de Greenfield had been elected to the see of York on 4th Dec,
1303. He appears to have been a man of a stern and unbending disposition,
a rigid disciplinarian, possessing a very strong will and a determination to
have his own way in all things.
In April, 1307, he visited Hexham, and was far from being satisfied with
the state of discipline there. The forcible injunctions he then drew up on
the duties of brotherly love, the maintenance of divine service, the possession
of private property, and simple and chaste living,'' may well excite the
impression that the canons had been negligent in all these particulars. No
doubt the events of recent years, which had so rudely interrupted the even
life of the foundation, had also completely disorganised the discipline of its
membei^s. Four years later the archbishop was again at Hexham and issued
a new set of regulations. Amongst other things he ordered the number of
canons to be maintained at twenty-six.' The prosperity of the priory was
evidently increasing again. Although Edward I. required large sums for the
support of his armies, he guaranteed Northumberland against invasion. The
restoration of the church was proceeding, and in June, 1310, the bishop of
Whitherne, acting as suffragan in Hexhamshire, consecrated the altars which
had been repaired or renewed.^ More than a mere restoration seems to
have been accomplished. By 1350 most of the fourteenth-century work in
' Hexham Priory, ii. app. No. xliii. and cf. note, p. 137. ^ IbitL i. app. No. xxv.
' Ibid. No. xxxiii. ' Ibid. No. xxxi.
144
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Hexham priory must have been completed, including the building at the
east end of the church, which was afterwards known as the 'Old School' or
Lady Chapel/
Apparently the canons of Hexham resented the action of the archbishop
in reforming their house. They may have resisted the introduction of the
new rules, or perhaps a party of them formed themselves into an opposition
for-the purpose of defying the archbishop. Of this party Robert de Whelp-
ington must have been the chief, and it is probable that he had most of the
canons on his side. Greenfield was not the man to suffer a revolt of this
The Lavatory.
sort to go unchecked, and he resolved to put it down with a firm hand. In
August, 1309, he wrote a peremptory letter to the prior ordering him to
send Robert de Whelpington to the monastery of St. Oswald in Gloucester
for punishment, because 'he had not blushed to prejudice the interests of his
' This appears to be proved by a charter of Archbishop Zouche granting the prior)' 5 feet off the
market place ; the space that had previously existed had apparently been built upon, and the canons
needed more room for their processions. Hexham Priory, i. app. No. Iviii.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 45
spiritual mother, the church of York.' Archbishop Greenfield evidently
considered that the prior had been no less an offender than Whelpington,
and he threatened to excommunicate the whole community in case they
should venture to disobey his mandate.^
As the archbishop did not proceed to extreme measures, it may be
surmised that Whelpington went quietly to his exile in Gloucestershire.
The question was far from being settled however. Two years later the
prior, Thomas de Fenwick, who had been elected in 1293, and who had
governed the priory during the most trying period of its existence, resolved
to resign. After having weathered the storm of invasion, he had seen and
superintended the work of restoration. Broken down as he was with age
and infirmities he might well, now that his work was accomplished, relinquish
his charge. So far from bearing any ill-feeling against him, the archbishop
speaks of him with aifection and regard, and ordained that the canons should
provide him with a special chamber, fit sustenance, and a pension of ten
silver pounds for the rest of his life."
In his zeal for reform the archbishop was tempted to exceed his rights.
Wishing to ensure the execution of his rules, and anxious to secure the good
order of the priory, he himself appointed a successor to Fenwick. This
was one Gilbert de Boroughbridge, a canon of Nostell,'^ and no doubt a
capable man. But the archbishop's action raised a storm. The canons
refused to submit to such an encroachment. They clung to a right that had
belonged to their body ever since the days of Robert Biset. They refused
to accept a stranger, and resolved to stand by their privilege of electing their
own superior to the last. Although Greenfield had no precedents to justify
his conduct, he continued to press the claims of his candidate by all the
means in his power. His resentment must have been kindled by the action
of the canons of Hexham, who had chosen his old enemy, Robert de Whelp-
ington, to be their prior. On August 2nd he excommunicated the whole
community for their disobedience,* and proceeded to take even stronger
measures. Finding his spiritual thunders insufficient to quell the spirit of the
rebellious canons, he sequestrated the whole of their property in Hexham-
shire and Yorkshire, and persuaded the bishops of Durham and Carlisle to
do the like in their own dioceses.
' Hexham Priory, i. No. xxvii. " Ibiil. app. No. xxxiv. 'Ibid. No. xxxv.
* Ibid. No. xxxvi.
Vol. III. 19
146 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Against this vindictive attack the canons petitioned the king in Parlia-
ment to procure for them the restitution of their possessions.' Apparently
they obtained this concession, for their cause prospered. The archbishop
had tried cajolement as well as threats; he had even promised that if the
canons would accept Gilbert de Boroughbridge, their right of electing a
prior should never again be disputed.^ But his efforts were in vain, and the
canons continued to defy him in spite of all his measures against them.
At last, on November 20th, the excommunication was withdrawn, and in the
following January a compromise was arranged by which all the fruits of
victory rested with the canons. Their right of election was definitely recog-
nised, and Robert de Whelpington was confirmed as prior. They bound
themselves, however, to pay Gilbert" de Boroughbridge a pension of ;^io
during the term of his natural life, or until he should accept some office or
preferment.^
The canons might still have been rejoicing over their victory when the
terrible storm of invasion again broke over their heads. King Edward I.
was dead, and the government had passed into the feeble hands of his son,
Edward II. The Borders were the first to feel the effects of the change. In
August, 1312, Robert Bruce entered England, and burned Hexham and
Corbridge. In the year 13 14 the Scots again visited the banks of the Tyne,
and appear to have taken up their quarters there.^
Once more, after an interval of only fifteen years, the canons of Hexham
were obliged to leave their home and flee for their lives. In their distress
they found a true friend in Archbishop Greenfield. In February, 1315, the
primate lent the priory the sum of ^40 to supply its immediate needs. But
the money proved insufficient to keep the canons together, and they were
dispersed throughout the various convents of their order in the province of
York, to which the archbishop gave them letters of recommendation.^
' 'A nostre seingnour le roy e a soun counsail, prient le suppriour e le couent de Hexsildisham purdieu
e 1 alme vostre pere remedye, de ceo qe, en countir vostre proteccioun, le Ercewek de Euerwic par Roger
de Thorneton soun balye de Hexsildisham ad sequestre toutez lour benez e possessiounes dence la
fraunchies de Hexsildisham e en Euerwic scire, e ad fete le Eweke de Dourem e le Eweke de Cardoil
sequestrer toute lour possessiounes dence lour deocyse, par la resoune ke il ount elu priour de eusmeymis
Robert de Welpington par noun, sicum il sunt priuilegez par buUe, et ne vulunt receyuir Gilbert de Fount
de burg chanoyn de Seynt Oswaldis en lour priour, par maundement le dite Ercewek en countir lour
priuilegg e le droyt de lour mesoun ; par quai il priunt pur dieu, vostre lectir de inhibicioun a le Ercewek,
e au dene e le chapitir de Euerwic, e a le Eweke de Dourem, e a le Eweke de Cardoile, e au balie
de Hexsildisham, ke il ne seunt destraunt ne de lour bienz ne possessiounes greuez taunke le debate entir
eus soyt decqus par jugement.' Ancient Petitions, No. 8013.
- Hexham Priory, i. app. p. lii. note. ' Ibid, preface, p. clxiii. note.
' Lanercost Chron. pp. 219, 229. ' Hexham Priory, i. app. No. xlii. and note.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW.
147
The sojourn of the Hexham canons in Yorkshire or Nottinghamshire
lasted practically throughout the reign of Edward II. They indeed returned
to Hexham for a short time in 131 8, but another invasion, and a murrain
among the cattle, again drove them southwards. During this troubled
period they received some grants of lands, including one half of Little Heton
manor,^ and lands in
Kirkheton, Nesbit, East
Matfen, Eachwick, and
Dalton.^ But their con-
dition continued to be
one of extreme poverty,
and the priory never
thoroughly recovered
from the blows thus
repeatedly dealt at it.
With the accession
of Edward III., and
the return of a strong
government, the state of
the north became more
settled. The canons re-
turned to Hexham, and
Archbishop Melton did
his utmost to raise funds
in Yorkshire for the re-
storation of the priory.'
Nevertheless, the dis-
tress of the canons con-
tinued to be very severe,
and the Rolls of Parlia-
ment bear witness to
their extreme poverty. Thev made petition for the grant of the advowson of
Alston church, for a pension of 40 marks for eight canons out of the issues
of Knaresborough or Barnard Castle, and for a remission of a debt of
£^1 IDS., due to the Exchequer, all, as they allege, on account of the
' Roi. Pat. 7 Ed. II. m. 14. ' Ibid. 16 Ed. II. m. 4. ' Hexham Priory, i. app. No. Iv.
CoKNEK OF Prior Leslhman'^ tiHKiNK.
148 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
devastation wrought by the Scots, and because they themselves are almost
without the means of subsistence.^
The priory, however, did not enjoy complete immunity under Edward
III. The war with the Scots still continued, and in March, 1346, the
dreaded enemy again broke into Northumberland, plundered Lanercost, and
of course did not neglect Hexham. ° This time, however, there was no
incendiarism. If the priory was spoiled the building itself was respected.
Moreover, the Scots did not long enjoy their triumph. Near Durham they
sustained a complete defeat, and retreated, discomfited, to their own country.
After fifty years of invasions and plunderings, when neither life nor
property could be considered secure for a moment, the priory of Hexham
and its canons were at length enabled to enjoy the pleasures of safety and
peace. From 1346 to the dissolution, the foundation remained unmolested
by unholy and sacrilegious hands, however lawless its surroundings might be.
But this period of relative prosperity is almost as much a blank, so far
as the history of the priory is concerned, as the prosperous thirteenth century
had been. One record indeed remains to show that the priory held and
administered large estates at this period, from which it drew a considerable
revenue. The Black Book of Hexham, though it bears the date Whitsuntide,
1479, is really the work of many years. It represents, in a very full manner,
the extent to which the priory had recovered from the disastrous invasions
of the fourteenth century. Although many places still remained waste, and
most of the rents were reduced, the great majority of the lands was occupied,
and some were even let on lease for more or less extended periods.
The following is only an abstract of this valuable document :^
Hexham: the Black Book, dated 1479.
Hexham:
PriestpofBe ward: Thomas Monk, i tenement, rent is. 6d.; Mariota Wer, i tenement, rent Sd.; Jn.
Laverock, Patrick Laverock, Thomas Monk, Tho. Barthelemew, Jn. Greene, Jn. Wanles, Archbald
Dikson, Robt. Mihiar, who also holds a garden, Roger Bischop, Jn. Hurde, Herle Turpyn, Jn. Lee,
' 'A nostra seignour le roy priont ses pouers chapellayns le priour et le convent de Hextildesham qi
sont ars et destrictz par les enemis d'Escoce et vnt este en dispersioun quatre aunz et plus, qil voille, si lui
plest, de sa charite commander akune chose pur lur sustenaunce de prendre des issues de Chastelbemard
ou de akune autre eschete ou il kii plerra tant qil poent aprochcr lur mesoun demeigne. Et qil voille, si
lui plest, en eide de la dite mesoun, releuer de sa grace graunter les le counge de approprier vne poure
Eglise de .^Ideston, qest de lur awoneisoun demeigne, et vaut en tens de pees x marcs, desicom ceo nest
en charge ne en damage de nostre seignour le roy ne de nul autre.' Ancient Petitions, E. 403; see also
Nos. 540, 13226, 1 5310, 2553, 5749, and E. 548. ■ Lanercost Chron. p. 346.
" The Black Book is so called from the colour of its cover. It has been printed in full, with many
valuable notes and a number of illustrative documents, by Canon Raine, and forms vol. 46 of the Surt.
Soc. publications.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 49
Wm. Wliytskalez, Win. Chaumer, Archljald Diksun, Jn. Whyt, suitor, Jn. Whyt, Thomas Monk,
widow of Jn. Whyt, Jn. Whytskalc, Johanna Nuthode, Johanna Huton, Ric. Arnistrang, Ric.
Hunter, Tho. Heshhop.
Puddyng Raw : Johanna Gladow, Wm. Chaumyr, Patrick Laverok, RoUand Watsun, Jn. Watsun, cHent,
Jn. Scot, Jn. Leschman, widow of Robt. Hyn. One waste there. Wm. Spavyne, Robt. Nicolson,
Robt. Stokall, Jn. Patonson, Thos. Elysun, Alicia Hudsun, Wm. Symson, Johanna Batsun, Robt.
Barkar, Jn. Lytill, Wm. Gladow, Tho. Hyrd, Ahcia Hird, Wm. Jonsun. Three gardens there.
Demesnes in the territory of He.xham : le Merehak, lo acres; Wynd-myln-stob, on either side of the
way, 8 acres and i acre of arable land; Harelaw, 5 acres; Hencotis at Haynyng crofte, 2 acres;
Ovinhousgat, 4 acres; Milnflatte, with 2 acres meadow, in all 12 acres. The cellarer holds i acre
meadow, against the miln-fleme ; John of Walworth holds 2 acres there by permission of the prior;
6 acres between the hall orchard and Holy well dene ; 20 acres pasture between the Tyne and the
miln-fleme.
Medhop close of 14 acres (5 acres belong to Aynwyk township) on north side of Tyne; 2 acres land by
Tyne mill-pond, lying in Harthorn flatte.
Aynwyk: one grange containing divers buildings, orchards, and dovecotes; i sheepfold with a walled
garden containing 2 acres; i walled garden containing I acre; 2l8| acres demesne land in culture,
1 acre meadow in divers places, of which 8 acres are devoted to the use of the grange and 42 acres
to Hexham priory; 40 acres demesne land included with the Medhop; 30 acres land in the territory
of Corbryg, called le Bisschopprek. Sum total 363^ acres.
There are 12 husband lands, each contains 16 acres, and renders services ; there are 19 cottage lands
contaming 60 acres i rood, at a gross rental of ^3 is. 3d.; 5 acres demesne land, rent 3s. 8d.
Brewing of Aynwyk township, 5s.; rent of mill £;^ 13s. 4d.; 2i acres near Beaufront, 2s.; the
tenants of Aynwyk pay pannage, which is ordinarily worth 6d.
Sandow: the freeholders have 2i acres, rent 2s. 8d.; demesne lands, 4 acres, rent 2s. 6d., 38 acres
waste; 13 husband lands, each containing 24 acres land, gross rental ^5 7s. 5d.; 12 cottage lands,
besides services, containing 4 acres 3 roods ; i garden, i letch ; 3 sykes, at a gross rental of
£\ 4s. loid.
Tenants pay pannage, generally 6d.; one waste place formerly rented at 6d. ; 8 acres glebe of St. John
Lee church, at a rent of 13s. 4d.; 3 acres glebe of St. Oswald church, at a rent of 8d.
Byngfeld : the manor, containing various houses, a chapel, four gardens, containing 2 acres, and fithe
barn ; 238 acres in demesne, arable land; 16 acres 3 roods meadow.
Arable land called Todridge or Litil Grotington.
Grange of Byngfeld, leased for 13 years, rent for first three years, £6 a year, for second three,
£7 6s. 8d., for six following years, £Z a year ; 22 acres waste land ; 16 rigges containing I li acres ;
also 25 rigges containing I2i acres ; and I flat containing 7 acres, rent ^8 ; sheepfold and garden
containing 4 acres. Through this fold the prior and convent have a right of way to the territory of
Colwell township to the common pasture of that township.
12 husband lands, each containing 24 acres arable and meadow land, at a gross rental of
£q I2S. 5id., besides services; 12 cottage lands, with 55 acres 3 roods, at a gross rental of
£2 IS. 7d., besides services ; 4 cottage lands are entered as waste.
For brewing, 2s.; for the mill, los.
Grotington at a rent, first of ^2, then of £2 los., on account of a new house there.
Dotland ;' Dotland park, containing 27 acres l rood ; 10 husband lands, each containing 15 acres arable
and meadow land, at gross rental of £2 los., besides services ; 10 cottage lands, containing 19 acres
2 rood, at a gross rental of 15s. 5d.
Dotland dene: places containing igi acres, at a rent of 2s.; 90 acres treasury lands, and one field
of 60 acres treasury lands, and 24 acres treasury lands ; 6 husband lands, at a gross rental of
^i i6s. ; 2 acres meadow for drying peats.
' Archbishop Thoresby (1354-73) gave the priory permission to enclose Dotland park. Hexham
Priory, ii. app. No. xlvi.
15°
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
2 water mills, one waste, the other rented at 7 marks ; one place for bringing water to the mil), rent
6d.; one husband land in Roulye, rent 4s.
The lord of Cocelye pays the prior and convent 4 marks a year for permission to have a mill on his
demesne of Cocelye or Langhope.
A house in Alwenton with i acre land, rent 6s. 8d.
Tithe barn in Akome with i rood of land, rent is.; tithe bam in Wall and i rood of land, rent 6d.;
tithe barn in Kepevvyk and i rood of land, rent 6d.; tithe bam in Haliden and i rood of land, rent
6d.; tithe bam in Rouly and garden are waste ; tithe barn in Cadden and garden are waste; I rood
of land in Nynbenkes, rent 4d.
They likewise have sac and soc in He.\hamshire and other liberties, viz., the assize of bread and
beer, making distraints, summonses, attachments, and fines for all transgressions from all tenants,
in the prior's court.
Lands in Cumberland:
Ravenwyke : 3 houses and 3 gardens with 14 acres 2 roods of land.
Scales : 1 1 acres, leased for 6 years at ids. a year.
Isall:' Site of a rectory which is waste. The vicar has 24 acres glebe, and pays 3s. 6d.; 16 acres 3 roods
at a gross rental of ^ I os. 4d., and two houses at los. a year; a wooded bank; two waste fields,
common pasture.
A fourth share in Plumland mill, worth 15s. a year ordinarily.
In Alneburgh, i acre waste, 20 acres arable lande, at a rent of 6s. 8d.
The tithes of Isale, etc., are farmed out for 22 marks a year, of which ^10 are appropriated to the
use of the cellarer for cooking.
One tenement in Carlisle leased for 20 years at is. 6d. a year, and another tenement at 2s. 6d. a year.
Liberty of Tyndale with Presdale and Aldenneston More:
Elleryngton mill : annual income of 13s. 4d. from the mill of Elleryngton.
Stancroft : i toft and 20 acres at a rent of 8s.
Sadlyngstanes : i toft and 45 acres, with pasture for 4 cows and 20 sheep; also i toft and 20 acres, and
4 acres of meadow, at a total rent of los.
Carraw: Pasture land at a rent of 8d. The whole township with its common pasture and coal mines, at
a rent of ^4. The water mill is ruined. Common pasture.
Annual rent 'of 8s. for Aldescheles : 40 years arrears.
One toft and croft in Teket and 10 acres of land; one rood in demesne toft at Grendon ; loi acres
land in Hennishalgh.
Ryscheles: gross rental from Henneshalgh and Ryschelez, £1 7s..
Thirlwall: i close called Wardrew; i acre in meadow of Crakdale, at a rent of 15s.; 3 roods of land at
Wyrch-snake-colfe, at a rent of 5s.; Wyrthkerj'ne, at a rent of 4s.; Priorbank, at a rent of 3s.; Wel-
house, with garden and croft, in all 5 acre, with a acres i rood of land, at a rent of is. 6d.; one
tenement called Croymagh, with two buildings.
Flagan Clough: ij acres land, at a rent of 6s. 8d.
Wardog hall: j part, about 7 acres, at a rent of 13s. 4d., with common pasture.
Knaresdale : with pasture.
Whytlaw : at a rent of 4s.
Whytfeld : at a rent of i6s. 8d., of which 3s. 4d. is appropriated to the sacristan and 13s. 4d. to the cellarer.
Aldeneston : a part of the township with common pasture.
Gerard Gill : i toft and pasture for 10 cows and 2 horses.
Presdale, including right of way through fee of Aldestone. The right to use the wood of Aldestone
wood for building.
Chestrehope: 24 acres, waste for 40 years. A rent of los., upon which a pension of 6s. Sd. is charged in
favour of one Adam de Lee.
' The title to the livings of Renwick and Isell was confirmed by the bishop of Carlisle in 1359, who
excused the prior, William de Kendal, from attending synods in his diocese. Ibiii. No. xlix.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. I5I
Barony of Langley:
Byeres,' a park in which the prioress of Lambley might keep cattle. For this privilege the prioress
supplies the prior's table once a year with a board cloth. The prioress holds 2 acres pasture, and
pays a rent of 4d.
Langdene and Ulgeham, at a total rent of ^i 13s. 4d.; Langdene formerly paid £z 2s.; common pasture
of Fethirstanhalgh.
Whynetlye: rents amount to 4s. 4d.; pasture for 8 oxen, 24 cows, 100 sheep, 5 horses, 5 sows.
Hayden: 11 acres, at a rent of 4s., formerly 6s. 8d.; tithe barn and pasture in Hayden.
Allewasshe mill, with 5 roods of land.
Olmers, \\ith the wood there.
Litill Olmers, at a rent of ^i 3s.
Wardon manor,= with various buildings; 4 acres, called Le Cros flatt ; i acre, called Lang Acre, and 10
acres hard by.
Wardon township : 28 acres 3 roods of land ; 6 cottage lands, containing 16 acres 2 roods, at a gross rental
of ^i, besides services ; a place called Clerk place ; the ferry is leased for 10 years at a rent of ^i.
The rent of the manor is £(j 13s. 4d., and it is appropriated to the use of the cellarer.
Walwyk : pasture for 200 sheep, 16 oxen, 10 cows, from Wardon manor.
Sclaveleye : 16 acres 3 roods, besides waste lands, at a gross rental of us.
Prest place, i^ acres, at a rent of 2s.
Lumbards place, i acre, at a rent of 3s. 4d.
Husband lands contain gi acres, at a rent of 3s., let out on a lease for 3 years ; a sheepfold of i
acre m extent ; a sheepfold in Le Stele, i acre in extent, and common pasture for 300 sheep.
Stokysfeld: at a rent of 13s. 8d.
Proudehowe : 8 acres \ rood, at a rent of 8s.
Ovyngeham fishery.
Corbryg: 10 burgages, at a gross rental of ^ I 14s. 4d.
Beaumond : with right of way to Chollirton pasture. Rent £2 13s. 4d., formerly 5 marks.
Chollirton : 29 acres 3 roods, and 2 cottage lands, containing about 4 acres, at a gross rental of
^i 8s. ; also 30 acres 3 roods, at a gross rental of ^i los.
Barousford: 31 acres 3 roods. A tithe barn with \ acre of land, at a rent of ^^i, of which 2s. are
appropriated to the bursar, and i8s. to the needs of the convent.
Gunwardton: 365 acres, at a gross rental of ^i is.
Byrtelye : 6 acres, at a rent of 5s.
Chipches : a tithe grange and about i rood of land.
Colden : with right of way to Gonwarton moor, at a rental of £'^ 6s. 8d.
Stelden : with right of way to Gonwarton moor, at a rental of ^2, of which £,\ 13s. 4d. is paid to the
abbot of Newminster.
Swynburn Est : a piece of land 80 feet square, for a tithe barn, rented at id.
Collewelle: pasture for 400 sheep, 30 oxen, 10 cows, i bull, and right of way to Byngfeld. Tithe barn
and garden about I rood in extent, rent id. Messuage in Swynburne West, at a rent of 3s. i acre
of land.
Kirkheton with Caldstrothre : 7 parcels of land held by feudal tenure; rent id. 33 husband lands, each
containing 34 acres, except one of 25 acres, at a gross rental of £■] 17s. 8 cottage lands and 2
crofts, containing 465 acres, at a gross rental of ^i is. 2d. ; two are waste. Demesne meadows, at
a rent of 6s. ; one part is waste.
Litil Babynton : lOj acres common pasture for 15 cattle, 60 sheep, 2 horses; gross rental 2s.,
appropriated to the almoner.
' By a grant of Edward 1. the priory enjoyed the right of free warren in their estates at Byres, Warden,
Matfen, Colden, Cheseburn, and Milburn. Rot. Chart. 14 Ed. \. m. 13.
' The prior collected the revenues of the church, but only enjoyed 22 marks of it, the rest, amounting
in the fifteenth century to 24 marks, went to Durham. Hexham Priory, ii. app. pp. 91, 137, note.
152 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Neuton in Cook ale: 4 acres waste, i carucate of arable land; rent 13s. 4d.
Temple Thornton : 91 acres 3 roods. 3 acres of meadow. 2 tofts and lands, one waste, at a rent of
£1 IDS. 2 tofts and lands, one waste, at a rent of ^i.
Whalton : 56^ acres ; i acre 3 roods of meadow, with common of pasture, at a gross rental of los.,
appropriated to the kitchen. 8s. rent paid by the lord, appropriated to the sacristan.
Newbiggyng-on-Sea : 5 roods of land, waste. 3 roods, at a rent of 2s., of which is. 4d. is paid to the
lord as ferm, and 2d. to the cellarer.
Stanyngton : 13 acres li roods; 2 acres of meadow at a rent of 6s., appropriated to the cellarer.
Clifton: rent of is. 6d. from a chantry at .Stanyngton church. Lands are waste.
Seton, Wodhorn : annual rent of ^2.
Brenklawe: annual rent of 13s. 4d. Waste.
North Milburne: the whole grange, with common pasture on Craklaw moor, and liberty to build a mill;
worth ^5 6s. 8d. a year.
Byresfeld de Milnburne, at a rent of i8s.
The wife of the lord of Dissington provides every year, on St. Andrew's day, two corporax cloths for
the high altar of Hexham, in exchange for the privilege, enjoyed by the lord of Dissington, of
taking moulter from the prior's tenants at Eachwick. If the prior's tenants refuse to take their
com to the mill of the lord of Dissington they are to be judged in the priors court. The lord of
Dissington must rise whenever the prior of Hexham meets him, and offer him his seat.
Echwyk:' one chief messuage with 4 gardens, 2 tofts, and 2 crofts; 88 acres of demesne land and
ij acres of meadow ; i toft with 30 acres, at a rent of i6s.; the rest at a rent of 17s.; 7 acres of
demesne meadow, at a rent of 9s., formerly los. ; one cottage and 8 acres, at a rent of 8d.
Fremaydens land with 18 acres, at a rent of 6s., formerly 12s.
7 bondage lands of 24 acres each, at a gross rental of ^3 7s., besides services ; 8 cottage lands of
23 acres, at a gross rental of 7s. 6d. ; 5 husband lands of 24 acres each, at a gross rental of £1 8s. ;
2 cottage lands belonging to the above, rent gd.
Brewing farmed for is.; common pasture in Whitchester.
Dalton: i chief messuage, etc., with 140 acres of arable and meadow land; rents amount to £2 iis. 3d.
27 acres at a rent of 2s. 3d. 19 husband lands; 11 contain 23 acres each, and 8 contain 16 acres
each; gross rental £^ 13s. 8d. 7 cottage lands, containing 12 acres, at a rent of los. iid. A
water mill rented at £2 i6s. 8d.
Hoghe township: Dedisdyd 30 acres, at a rent of 4s. 1695 acres, in the town fields.
Hoi medow, 3 acres, at a rent of 4d. Private pasture in North more. 20 acres i rood pasture land.
3 tofts. 7 cottage lands containing about 10 acres, waste ; rental 15s. 18 acres of husband lands,
etc., at 20s.
John de Fenwyk holds all the above and pays £4 13s. 4d. a year.
Common pasture for 24 oxen, 4 horses, 2 cows ; a sheepfold; peat field.
Haukewell: i acre of arable land.
Ulkeston: i acre of arable land ; 3 acres of peat lands.
Cheseburghe : the manor, with buildings, chapel, dovecote, etc., besides S3 acres i rood.
Peslaw flatt, 6 acres. Rent for the whole manor £(> besides ser\-ices.
Nesbitte free ferm : 12 acres, rent 4d.
19 husband lands of 25 acres each, gross rental £7 13s. lod. ; 4 cottage lands and a garden ; 15
acres, at a rent of 7s. id. ; 3 waste.
Stellyng : the manor, with common pasture of Bywell barony, rent 4 marks.
Naffirton mill and Milner crofte cottage are waste.
Throkelaw : one toft and croft and one half of a toft and croft ; 51 acres 2i roods in the fields.
New'burne : 2 fisheries called Fuyle and Drypintille, rent ^i 6s. 8d.
' Besides the lands acquired there under Edward II. {supra, p. 147), the priory obtained 161 acres of land,
5 acres of meadow and a rent of 40s. at Eachwick in 1347 by licence from Edward III. This grant
included appurtenances in Eachwick, Whitchester, Harlow, and Dalton. Rot. Put. 21 Ed. III. ii. m. 29.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 53
Benwell : Wodhall, 4 acres, rent 5s.
Newcastle : 3 burgages at a rent of 8s., appropriated to the sacristan ; 4 burgages and a narrow entry,
rent £1 los. 6d. 2 rents lost because the sites are no longer known.
Bishopric of Durham:
Gren Heley : one toft and one croft and one acre of wooded land called Devencrofte.
20 acres arable and meadow land ; the whole at a rent of 5s. to the sacristan.
Fenhall in Grencroft: One messuage; rent 28s., 3s. for free farm, 3s. to the lord of (ircnccroft; tenant
to provide accommodation for the prior and his equipage.
Maydenstanhall in Langchestre: one messuage, rent £1 us. 4d., 4d. to the treasurer of Durham, 23s.
to Durham Treasury.
Kymesworthe : l toft with 3 buildings, orchard, and croft, with 3 acres of land ; common pasture for 300
sheep, 8 oxen ; Estoveria in woods, rent los. To provide accommodation as above.
Staynton in Strata: 2 tofts, with 3 buildings and a garden ; 4 bovates, each of 18 acres ; rent 40s. to the
cellarer.
Hertyllpull : 2 tenements at a rent of 14s. and a rent of 5s.
Silkysworth: Farendon grange and Canon More ; Morhous pott, ii acres, rent £2, 13s. 4d. ; windmill,
at a rent of ^i 6s. Sd. ; 4 husband lands, 145 acres, at a rent of ^14 os. i id., besides services ; 12
cottage lands, 43 acres, at a rent of £1 17s. lod., one waste; common oven and brewing; 13 acres
in West Heryngton, rent, £1 5s.
Hold court at Silkisworth and enjoy fines, etc.
Cleveland, Co. York:
Littil Broghton : the manor, 2 feudal fees, and a mill ; sac and soc ; all the meadow and pasture land,
crofts, orchards, gardens ; 103 acres separable land ; 82i acres inseparable land.
Casseholme: 2i acres, rent lod.; 10 acres meadow, paying no tithes, rent ^3 13s. 4d.
Tenant to supply accommodation for prior and his equipage ; 2 tenements by feudal service, rent
3s. 8d. ; 9 husband lands and 26 bovates, 24 bovates contain 8 acres each, 2 contain 9 acres each,
gross rental £6 3s., besides services ; 1 1 cottage lands, containing 40 acres, at a rent of £1 19s. lod.,
besides services : gross rental for all ^'3 los. 8d.
Water mill and 3 acres, at a rent of 13s. 4d.
Broghton: one chief messuage with garden and croft; 3^ bovates, each of 18 acres; 2 cottage lands,
gross rental of all ^i 4s.; 14 acres of demesne land, with 2 acres 3 roods of meadow.
Ingleby: one toft with garden and croft, \\ acres ; one bovate, containing 15 acres ; i cottage land of
3 acres, total rent 8s.
Kyrkbe : one tenement with garden and croft, i acre; one bovate, containing 12 acres 3 roods meadow;
one cottage land, total rent 9s. ; 175 acres at a rent of ^2 3s. 4d., besides services. Each cottage
land to pay is. a year and services, or 2s. without services.
Adescroft : i\ acres, rent 4s. 4d., formerly 6s.
Common oven, farmed out for 3s. 6d.; a water mill; each brewer to give the lord 2 lagenas' of beer at
each brewing.
Manor of Salton : a hall with 3 chambers, chapel, kitchen, bakery, breweiy, orchard, and gardens, a
guest hall, gate house, a large barn, etc.; 16 bovates, each containing 9 acres; I2i acres meadow,
one close.
Frensholme wood: 2h acres; the cotegarth for sheep, rent £\ 13s., besides senices; 73 bovates, each
of 9 acres, and 2h bondage lands, total rent /30 is. 2d., besides services.
29 cottage lands, 3 waste containing i8| acres each, rent ^3 2s. lod., besides services.
The vicar of Adescrofte holds 2^ acres at a rent of 3s. 4d.
' The lagena was an English measure, and is thus described in the assizes of David, king of Scotland,
on weights and measures: 'A lagena ought to contain 12 lbs. of water, viz., 4 lbs. of sea water, 4 lbs. of
lake or pond water, 4 lbs. of clear, running water. It should be 6i inches broad, 8i inches deep, with a
circumference of 27 inches in the upper and 23 inches in the lower part.' Du Cange, sub voce lagena.
Vol. III. 20
154 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Common oven, farmed out for 4s. 4cl. a year; the brewer to give 2 lagenas of beer at each brewing;
water mill, rent £^ 6s. 8(1.; Salton fishery, 2s.; services of purveyance; tenants to give 12 silver
marks to buy a palfrey for a newly elected prior.
IJrawby: 51 bovates, of 9 acres each, 3 acres of land, one close; a brewery and fishery, gross rental
/ii 4s. 6d., besides services, including a palfrey as above; 13 cottage lands, 4 waste, containing 36
acres, etc., rent £2 5s. gd., besides services.
Edeston: 40 bovates of 9 acres each, rent ^8 9s. 8d., no services; 9 cottage lands, 3 waste, rent 6s.,
formerly 12s.; demesne meadow, 8 acres, at a rental of ^i 4s.; inclosed land, rent 6s.
Great Bergh : 24 bovates, at a rental of ^3 13s., besides services; one cottage land, at a rental of 3s.;
2 tofts and a place rented at 5 s.
Lytill Bergh: 4 bovates, one pays 4s. 6d. rent, formerly lis. 8d., services.
Fla.\ton: one toft and one bovate, rent 8s.; 5 bovates each of 15 acres, gross rental £1 los., besides
services, including an aid for the palfrey above mentioned.
Milling ton : 2 bovates and one waste messuage.
Gleveldale in le Hole : one toft with buildings and a garden ; 4 bovates.
The total amount of the rents actually given in the Black Book is just under
^300. But this is entirely exclusive of all services, of payments in kind, of
tithes, etc. Many rents are omitted, notably those of Hexham town, and
two important places are left out altogether : the hospital of St. Giles and
the cell of Ovingham. The former came under the control of the priory in
January, 1378, by virtue of a charter of Archbishop Neville.^ In October of
the same year the bishop of Durham confirmed to them the gift of the cell of
Ovingham, made by Henry Percy, earl of Northumberland. The intention
of the grant was to enable the canons to continue those duties of hospitality
which it had become increasingly difficult to perform on account of the in-
roads of the Scots. In time of peace a master and three canons were to be
maintained there, to perform the divine ofiices and to sing masses for the
souls of Gilbert de Umfraville and Henry Percy.^ Inclusive of everything,
the property of Hexham probably amounted in the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries to between ^400 and ^500 per annum.
At the beginning of the fifteenth century the prior and canons became
seriously involved in the rebellion of the earl of Northumberland, a treason
which their lord. Archbishop Scrope, expiated on the scaffold. Bowet,
Scrope's successor at York, anxious to prove his loyalty, deprived the prior,
John of Hexham, of his office for the crime of high treason.^ The prior did
not resist, and fled from Hexham, but with a wise clemency Henry IV.
' Hexham Priory, ii. app. No. li.
- The original charter is in the Bodleian library, O.xford, where it is designated Norlhumbcrland
Charters. Chandler Deeds, No. 5. Mr. Hodgson has transcribed the same deed from the Durham
Registers. Histury of Nurthuinberland, III. ii. pp. 97-101.
^ Hexham Priory, i. app. No. l,\,\ii.
THE CHURCH AND TRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. I 55
resolved to pardon the canons,' whose treason was probably not of a very
active character. John returned to resume his office, and ruled there till his
death in 1409.
In the year 1464 the noise of battle once again resounded near Hexham
priory. The Lancastrians, who had been defeated and driven out of tlie
south, rallied in Northumberland for a last desperate struggle. The canons
at Hexham, profiting by their former experiences, might have wished to
remain neutral, though to do so was difficult in those times, the more so
because King Edward and Warwick both ordered the archbishop of York to
arm the clergy of his diocese against their enemies. About Whitsuntide a
great battle was fought on the east side of the Devil's water, when the
Lancastrians were completely defeated, the last stand being made within a
mile of Hexham. Among the prisoners taken by the Yorkists was the duke
of Somerset. That nobleman was too far compromised to e.xpect any mercy
from his enemies. He was immediately beheaded at Hexham, where his
body found an obscure resting-place.'^
The chequered and varied history of the priory was itself rapidly
approaching its climax. The laxity of the discipline of the house had been
noticeable ever since the days of Archbishop Murdac. Matters had not
improved since the Scottish invasions, but rather went from bad to worse.
When Archbishop Zouche instituted a visitation in 1347 he instructed his
commissioners to punish all crimes and excesses.' Fifty years later, however,
the condition of the priory had become notorious ; Archbishop Waldby, who
instituted a visitation, describes it in no measured terms as a scandal and
offence. Two canons are expressly mentioned by name as guilty of incon-
tinence, and were ordered to appear before the archbishop for punishment.
Soon after this visitation of 1397, the prior, Alexander de Marton, resigned,
no doubt at the request of the archbishop, who was ill-satisfied with his
conduct, though he had been in office over thirty years.* But the energy of
Waldby was thrown away. So little did the canons profit by his action that
in 1409 they elected as prior William de Woodhorne, who was one of the
two canons convicted of incontinence. It does not appear that there was any
amelioration of manners during the fifteenth century. In 1535 Archbishop
Lee made one more attempt to sweep away the abuses. His injunctions for
'Hexham Priory, i. app. No. Ixxiii. -Unci. No. Ixxxvi. ' Ibiii. No. Ivi.
^Ibid. Nos. Ixx. Ixxi.
■56
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
that year, after enjoining the strict observance of the rules of St. Augustine,
lay particular emphasis on the necessity of chaste behaviour in the
members of the house. No canon was to associate with any woman of
doubtful character; no women but mothers or sisters were to enter the close
on any pretext, the doors of which were to be shut every night, and the keys
left in the custody of the prior.'
Whatever may have been the faults of the Hexham canons, the retribu-
tion which overtook them was sudden and terrible. Into the causes which
led to the dissolution of the monasteries it is unnecessary to enter here, but
a few of the facts in connection with this event call for notice. In 1534 took
place a visitation of all the English
monasteries, whose members were re-
quired to take the oath of supremacy
to the king, and who were, at the
same time, forced to deny the suprem-
acy of the pope in the strongest
terms. In 1535 another visitation
was appointed to be held by Layton,
Legh, and Ap Rice, with the object
of enquiring into the moral and
general condition of the religious
houses. Hexham was visited early in 1536, and the report upon it of the
visitors is chiefly remarkable for its brevity. Two of the members of the
house, one of whom was Prior Jay himself, were accused of incontinence,
but the other remarks were of a less serious character. The convent is
stated to have possessed a missal called the Red Mass Book of Hexham, and
its rents amounted to ^"100 a year, its founder having been the archbishop
of York.^
As it proved, the fate of Hexham turned, not so much upon the abuses
of which the canons were but too guilty, as upon the value of its revenues.
The so-called Reformation Parliament entered, in this year, upon its seventh
session, and one of its earliest acts was to decree the dissolution of all
monasteries whose annual value did not exceed ;^200 As the rents of
Hexham priory amounted to little more than this sum much anxiety was felt
Miserere with Prior Woodhokne's Device.
' Hexham Pri(»y, i. app. No. xciv.
' Cal. State Papers. Hen. VIII. ed Gairdncr, x. 364.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW.
157
for its safety. In April, 1536, Archbishop Lee wrote to Cromwell begging
him to spare the monasteries of Hexham and St. Oswald, Gloucester. Of
Hexham he wrote :
It was some tyme sedes episcopalis; and manyc holic menn, somme tyme busshoppes ther, be buried
in that churche, sainctes of name ; and wiese men that knowe the Borders thinke that the landes therof,
although theye were x tymes as moche, can not contrcvailc the damaige that is lieke to ensue if it bee
suppressed ; and some waie, there is never a house between Scotland and the lordshippe of Hexham ; and
menn feare, if the monasterie goo downe, that in processe all shall be wast moche within the land. And
what counfort that monasterie is daylie to the contre ther, and speciallie in tyme of warr, not onlie the
contre men doo knowe, but also manye of the noble men of this realme, that hathe doone the kinge's
highnes service in Scotland. I doubt not but that the land of that monasterie is bettur than twoo
hundred pound by yere, as liekwiese th' archbushoppe's landes war moche bettur mccc marcs by yere. and
nowe it is communibus annis, undre ii" li. I entierlie praye you, if you thinke that I have reason to sue for
these ii, that you woll helpe me to save them. And, as for Hexham, I thinke it is necessarie to be con-
sidred) as I thinke theye that knowe the Borders woll saie.'
Archbishop Lee's representations did not move Cromwell from his pur-
pose. Although the revenues of Hexham amounted to more than ;i^200
a year, by means of some juggling with the figures they were represented as
being beneath that sum. In a state paper of the time
the revenues of the houses of Newminster, Alnwick,
Holystone, Brinkburn, Tynemouth, Hexham, Oving-
ham, and Blanchland, are represented as amounting
to no more than .£."580 4s. lod. taken all together.^ A
survey made by Lavton and Legh gives the clear
yearly value of the archbishop's possessions in Hex-
hamshire at £,196 19s. 4fd.' Perhaps some attempt
was made to confuse the property of the archbishop with the possessions
of the priory. However this may have been, a detailed survey taken in
July, when the monastery was already considered as dissolved, gives the
gross revenues at £2b(i 15s. 2d. This document is here appended, and it is
interesting to compare the rents with those given in the Black Book. A
depreciation in value mav be noticed in almost every case, a circumstance
which, after an interval of fifty years, in a time of peace, and when money
had decreased in value, it is difficult to account for.
Survey of the Possessions of Hexham Priory taken July, 1536.'
Com. Northumbr. In libro superuisuum diuersorum monasteriorum ibidem, mense Julij, anno regni
Regis Henrici viij'', xxviij"; inter alia continetur prout inferius patet.
MONASTERIUM DE HEXHAM: Exitus terrarum, tenementorum et possessionum, tam spiritualium
quam temporalium.
' Cal. State Papers. Henry VIII. ed Gairdner, x. 716. - /iirf. 1238.
^ Rentals and Surveys. Roll 766. M»«^. Off. Miscell. Bks. vol. 399, pp. 310-5.
The Device of Prior
Smithso.v.
158
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Terre diueise in manu monasterij occupate : scitiini monasterij ibidem, cum uno columbario,
et diuersis graungiis siue orreis, uno pomario, et uno gardino infra precinctum dicti
monasterij, continens per estimacionem ij acras terra. Et valet per annum
Item habent prope Hexham vnum liospitale Sancti Egidij, continens unum mesuagium, cum
uno clause et certas terras que valent per annum
L
s.
d.
o
4
0
o
13
4
17 4
12
14
5
5
8
'3
2
6
3
6
7
0
Item habent ad fiiinam de archiepiscopo Ebor., certas terras iuxta Hexham videlicet: unum
clausum vocatuni Coufeld ; unum clausum vocatum Coteffeld ; unum clausum vocatum
Dotelande parke. Et reddunt per annum archiepisco Ebor., xxiiij" et vltra de incremenlo
per annum ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... nihi
Summa, 17s. 4d.
TEMPORALES POSSESIONES in DIUERSI.S COMITATIBUS: et habent in Hexham villa diucrsa
burgagia que reddunt per annum... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12 14 5
Item habent in villa de Sandowe diuersa tenementa, que reddunt per annum
Item habent in villa de Anyk diuersa tenementa, cpe reddunt per annum...
Item in villa de Yarwithc unum tenementum, quod valet per annum
Item in villa de Dotlande diuersa tenementa, que reddunt per annum
Item in villa Bringfeldes diuersa tenementa, que reddunt per annum
Item vnam placeain vocatam Beauffront, que reddit per annum vltra £1 13s. 4d. resoluta
archiepiscopo ibidem ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 100
Item habent manerium de Milbome graunge, in comitatu Northumbr., sic dimittitur
Gawino Swynborne per commune sigillum... ... ... ... ... ... 5 6 8
Item in villa de Kirkchetcn, diuersa terras et tenementa, que valent per annum ... ... 700
Item in Adestane More, diuersa terras et tenementa, que valent per annum ... ... 4 13 4
Item habent vnum solum vastum, vocatum Carrowe, in Tindall. Et est pastura larga que) nihil quia
nihil reddit ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .../jacet vastum
Item habent in villa de Dalton, diuersa terras et tenementa, et duo molendina, que reddunt
per annum
Item habent in villa de Nesseboth tenentes, qui reddunt per annum
Item habent graungeam de Chesbourne, que dimittitur ad fimiam per annum
Item vnam placeam vocatam Stellyng, que valet per annum
Item habent in Echewike terras et tenementa, que reddunt per annum ...
Item habent in Grotyngton iuxta Beyngfeld terras et tenementa, que valent per annum
Item habent mollendinum aquaticum de Ingoo, quod reddit per annum ...
Item habent in Purdowe unum tenementum quod valet per annum
Itein habent in villa de Qualton vnum tenementum, quod reddit per annum
Item habent in Nouo Castro super Tinam diuersa burgagia, que valent per annum
Item habent in villa de Estmat[fen] certa terras et tenementa, que valent per annum
Item in villa de Westmatfen, certas terras per annum ...
Item in Slavele, certas terras per annum
Item in Stoxefeldes hall, terras et tenementa que reddunt per annum
Item in Birtle, terras et tenementa que valent per annum
Item habent apud Newbourne vnam piscariam, que reddit per annum
Item in villa de Stannygton, certa terras et tenementa, que reddunt per annum
Item in villa de Gunnerton, certa terras et tenementa, que reddunt per annum
Item in Warden, certa terras et tenementa vna cum decimis garbarum ibidem, per annum,
sic dimittuntur ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 6 13 4
Item vnam placeam terre, vocatam Byrds parke, continentem per estimacionem, dimissam
Domino Dacres ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... i 13 4
Item in Kaersley, terras et tenementa, que reddunt per annum ... ... ... ... 068
Item habent in Chellerton unum tenementum, quod reddit per annum ... ... ... 200
8
13
4
5
6
8
4
0
0
I
■3
4
3
6
8
2
0
0
0
'3
4
0
8
0
0
10
0
I
7
8
2
13
4
0
I
4
0
5
4
0
13
4
0
3
4
0
5
0
0
5
0
0
13
4
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 159
£. s. d.
Item habeiU viwm placeam vocalam Resshelles, continentem per estiinacionem mi])er ad 1 nihil quia
13s. 4d. ... ... ... ... ... .•■ ■.. ■•• .../jacet vasta
Item habent in Temple Tliurneton terras et tcnementa c|ue rcddunt per anmim ... ... 168
Siimma comitatus Northumbr. cum He.xham, ^102 6s. 6d.'
Episcopatus Dunolm :
Item habent vnam placeam vocatam Farynden hall que reddit per anmnn (per commune
siyillmii) ... ... ... •-. •■• ••• ••• 5^8
Item habent in villata de Staynton terras et tenementa, que reddunt per annum ... ... 168
Item habent in villa de Launchestre terras et tenementa, que reddunt per annum ... ... 168
Item habent vnam placeam vocatam Madenstedhall, que reddit per annum ... ... 080
Summa, ^8 8s.
Comitatus Ebor:
Item in Litill Broughton, terras et tenementa in tenura Willielmi Edwardyne per commune
sigillum '2 18 3^
Thys ys appoyntyd for [He.xham prior].
Item habent prebendum de Saweton quod valet in temporalibus in villatis de Saweton
Edston et Brawbye in comitatu predicto per annum per commune sigillum, vnde in terris
diuersis, dimissis Jacobo Ridley £\o i6s. per annum, per commune sigillum (for the prior
of Hexham's pension) ... ... ... ... ••• ••• ••• ••■ 24 o o
Summa, ^^36 iSs. 3^.
Spiritualitates comitatus Ebor.
Item habent de Sawton, grani decimales ^4 13s. 4d., Edston ^4 13s. 4d., et Brawebye £%
ac decimam lanarum et agnellorum infra parocheam predictam 14s. (per commune
sigillum) ... ... ... ... ... .•■ ••• ■•■ ••• 13 o S
Item habent rectoriam de Ylkeley in tenura Thome Mering per commune sigillum ... 500
Adhuc spiritualitates. Hexham cum Hexhamshire.
Item habent rectoriam de Hexham cum lez shire, in grani decimalibus ^10; decimis grani
villa de Anyk 13s. 4d. ; decimis grani de Sladehovve 8s.; decimis ville de Akome
£,1 13s. 4d. ; decimis ville de Vaall £z 6s. 8d. ; decimis ville de Bokley los. ; decimis
ville de Kepike 13s. 4d. ; decimis ville de Eryngton £,\ ; decimis et proficuis capelle de
Alwendall dimissis diuersis personis per commune sigillum ;£i5 ; in decimis agnellorum
provenientibus de tota parochia de Hexhamshire ^3 8s. yd. ; decimis lanarum per totam
dictam parochiam £\ ys. 6d. ; decimis personalibus oblacionibus et minutis decimacioni-
bus tempore quadragesimal! infra monasterium ^9; decimacionibus et oblacionibus
infra capellam Sancti Johannis £1 3s. ; decimacionibus et oblacionibus infra capellam
Sancti Oswoldi ^3 ; decimacionibus et oblacionibus in capella beate Marie de Byngfeld
^3 6s. 8d. ... ... ... ... ... ••■ •■• 55 10 5
Adhuc spiritualitates in comitatu Northumbr. :
Item habent decimas garbarum ecclesic de Aldstone ^3 6s. 8d. ; decimas garbarum de
Newboruch £\ 6s. Sd. ; decimas garbarum de Alweiche ^i in manibus domini ;
decimas ville de Foustones 13s. 4d. in manibus domini; decimas ville de Slaveley cum
capella ibidem, dimissas Johanni Swyneborne per commune sigillum ^4 ; decimas
garbarum de ShoUerton £1 6s. 8d., in manibus domini ; decimas garbarum de
Barreffourthe, in manibus domini £\ 13s. 4d. ; decimas garbarum de Chipchesse, Howden,
et lez Birthe, dimissas Johanni Heron £\ 6s. 8d. ; decimas garbarum de Gunerton £z,
dimissas Johanni Wedryington ; decimas garbarum de Colwell £2 abque sigillum ;
decimas garbarum de Hayden brigg, cum diuersis parcellis infra Dunum et Langley
et parochiam de Hayden, dimissas Reginaldo Carnabye militi per indcnturam, per
commune sigillum ;^ I y 13s. 4d. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 39 6 8
' This does not include first sum of lys. 4d.
l6o HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Adhuc spiritualitates Episcopatus Carlioll :
Item habent decimacioem garbarum ecclesie do Yscll, que valet per annum (in manibus £ s. d.
domini) ... ... ■•• ■■• ■•• ••■ ••• ■•• ••• 500
Summa totalis valoris monasterii tarn in temporalibus, quam in spiritualibus, £2bb 15s. 2d.
Examinatur cum papiro libri supervisuum per me Jacobum Rokeby, auditorem.
Though these various valuations were made in July, no active steps to
dissolve the priory seem to have been taken until two months later. On
the 28th of September, 1536, Sir Cuthbert RadclifFe, Lionel Gray, William
Grene, James Rokeby, and Robert Collingwood, the king's commissioners,
with a few attendants, rode up along the banks of the Tyne with the
purpose of putting an end to the foundation at Hexham. When they
reached Dilston the strange news arrived that the canons were up in arms,
and had fortified their house with guns and all manner of artillery, intending
to defend themselves to the last. A halt was ordered, and an anxious
discussion ensued as to the best steps to take under the circumstances. At
last it was agreed that Gray and Collingwood should go forward with a small
company. When they reached Hexham they found that the news they had
received was perfectly true. The steep and narrow streets, as they passed
through, were full of angry and excited men, who were hurrying to arms to
the tolling of the town alarum bell, as if they were preparing to resist
an invasion of the Scots. The great fray bell of the priory rang out an
answering peal that only added to the general babel of sound, and announced
the approach of the expected foe. The people hurried out to defend their
beloved church, and the commissioners arrived only to find the doors all
locked and barred and the walls lined with armed men. The master of
Ovingham, who was the ringleader of the resistance, stood upon the walls in
complete harness with a strung bow'in his hands.
So dangerous a situation must have seriously disturbed the equanimity
of the commissioners, but the least they could do would be to demand
instant admittance and the respect due from loyal subjects to the king's writ
and seal. But the master of Ovingham boldly replied : ' We be twenti
brethern in this hous, and we shall dye all, or yt shall ye have this house.'
The commissioners then presented their credentials, and the master of
Ovingham retired to take counsel with his brethren. Before long, however,
he reappeared, accompanied by the sub-prior.' His only answer \yas : ' We
doo nott doubte bott ye bring with you the king's seall of auctorite for this
' His name was George Hyndmers. Exchequer Special Commissions, No. 1747, iS Nov., 1587.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. l6l
hous, albeitt ye shall se here the king's confirinacion of our hous under the
great seall of King Henry the Vlllth. God save his grace. We think it
nott the king's honor to gyff furthe oon seall contrarye to an other, and afore
any other of our landes, goods, or hous be takin frome us we shall all dye,
and yt is our full answer.'
Nothing could be done. The priory was protected by a force of at least
sixty armed men, and an immediate retreat was the only course it was
possible to pursue.' The commissioners retired to Corbridge, and sent a
messenger to Windsor to inform the king of what had taken place. The
messenger returned with letters to the earl of Westmorland with instruc-
tions to suppress the rebellion. But he could not get further than Brance-
peth, near Durham. The commissioners in the meantime had hurried home,
for the whole country was up in revolt." The resistance of Hexham had set
the example for a general rising, and only four days after the visit of the
commissioners the rebellion known as the ' Pilgrimage of Grace ' had begun.
The canons of Hexham had never anticipated such serious consequences
of their resistance. They had endeavoured to represent themselves as
acting in a perfectly loyal and legal spirit, and as peaceful men they un-
doubtedly would have quietly submitted had they not fallen victims to the
schemes of an unprincipled man. John Heron of Chipchase, an enemy to
the government, and therefore no friend to William Carnaby, whose son
Reginald was the king's representative in Hexhamshire, determined to ruin
the owner of Halton. He therefore called on him on the 15th of October
and represented to him how necessary it was to put down the rebellion of
the Hexham canons. Heron offered himself to go and negotiate with the
rebels in order to try and arrange some pacification. To this proposal
Carnaby readily agreed, but when Heron reached Hexham, so far from
advising the canons to submit, he encouraged them to persist in their
resistance, and asked them for money to support the rebellion. But the
canons had scruples about allying themselves with thieves and outlaws.
They were more anxious to make their peace with the Crown, and desired
Heron to ask William Carnaby to get his son Reginald to act as mediator
for them to the king, promising that ' the abbey shulde be delyvert to the
kinge's commyssioners, to be ordered at theyre pleasure ; soo that they myght
there serve God, and remayne, though they beggyd for theyre lyvinges.'
' SUUe Papers, Henry VIII. xi. 504. - Exch. Ministers' Accounts, 27-29 Henr>' VIII. No. 200, m. 6.
Vol. III. 21
1 62 HEXHAM HOROUGH.
This touching appeal made no impression upon John Heron. He
rode off to see Carnaby, but told him nothing about the canons' message.
When he returned to Hexham the canons were anxious to know how he had
sped. But he invented a story that Carnaby had demanded four men of the
convent and four men of the town to be sent as hostages to the king.
Thoroughly deceived by this lie, the canons reluctantly determined that
since they might have no mercy it was ' better to defend theyre lyves as
long as they myght than wilfully to kill theyme selfes.' They threw aside
their scruples of joining with thieves and outlaws, and cast in their lot with
the Tynedale men, whom Heron had called out on every side.'
When the revolt first broke out the king intended to put it down at
once by force ; but as it spread and became formidable he thought of other
means of repressing it. In December he issued a proclamation promising
pardon to all those who had taken part in the rebellion, if they would at
once submit." But as the government began to gain the upper hand, his
tone became more severe. The duke of Norfolk, who was charged with the
suppression of the rebellion, was at York on November 24th, and held a
conference with the leaders of the rebels.' The rising was then at its height,
and mild measures seemed necessary. On the following 22nd of Februaiy,
however, the complexion of affairs had changed, and King Henry wrote
to the duke that : ' forasmoche as all these troubles have ensued by
the sollicitation and traitorous conspiracyes of the monkes and chanons of
those parties, we desire and pray you, at your repaire to Salleye, Hexam,
Newminster, Leonerdecost, Saincte Agathe, and all suche other places as
have made any maner of resistance, or in any wise conspired, or kept their
houses with any force, sithens th'appointement at Dancastre, you shall,
without pitie or circumstance, nowe that our baner is displayed, cause all the
monkes and chanons that be in any wise faultie to be tyed uppe, without
further delaye or ceremony, to the terrible exemple of others ; wherein we
thinke you shall doo unto us highe service.'^
Norfolk lost no time in carrying out the orders of his sovereign. On
the 24th of February he ordered Dacre to meet him at Hexham with one
hundred horse,* and wrote to the king that he intended to dissolve the priory
on the following day.° Two days later he was at Hexham, and the work of
' Cal State Papers, Henry VIII. ed. Gaiidner, xii. pt. i. logo, p. 507.
■ Ibid. xi. 1235. ^ Ibid. xi. 11 55. ' Ibid. xii. pt. i. 479. '' Ibid. 500. '■ Ibid. 498.
The Prioky Gateway.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 163
dissolution was quietly carried out. The scene was very different from the
one at which the royal commissioners had assisted five months before. The
inhabitants listened quietly to the exhortations of the duke, and seemed
sorry for all they had done amiss. The canons appear to have been
treated with silent contempt, but they escaped with their lives. When
Norfolk enquired if they had made any insurrection or resistance since the
general pardon of the preceding December, Carnaby answered in a most
decided negative.^ The story goes that the last prior of He.xham was hanged
at the old gateway of his house. This was not the case. So far from
suffering an ignominious death, he was allowed to retain as a pension his
prebend of Salton at York by royal grant." It is not recorded of him that
he took any part in the revolt in which the master of Ovingham and the
sub-prior were so prominent. Father Gasquet has suggested that he was
possibly a nominee of the Crown.' He alone of the canons received anything
to replace what he had lost. The others indeed escaped an ignominious
death, as well on account of their peaceful disposition since December, as
by reason of the revelations concerning Heron's conduct, but they were
deprived of ' theyre lyvinges', for which they had so pathetically begged.*
Their house suffered from the vandalism that characterised the proceed-
ings in nearly all the dissolutions of the period. The conventual buildings
were destroyed, and lead to the value of ^266 13s. ^d. was pulled off
them. The church only escaped the common destruction because the inhab-
itants represented that it was the parish church. A few other buildings
were likewise spared : the hall ; some storehouses and offices ; a room called
Saint Thomas' chamber, with dwellings annexed ; and a room over against
'lez fermary.' But all movables, including a shrine valued at 13s. 4d.,
' Cal. Stati Papers, Henry VIII. ed. (kiirdner, xii. pt. i. 546. ^ Ibid. xiii. pt. i. 1520.
■' Henry VIII. and the English Monasteries, ii. p. 40. This is hardly likely, however, in view of the
fact that he was one of those accused of incontinency ; and that before the dissolution he went up to
London to make suit to the king for his house {State Papers, Henry VIII. xi. 689). Since tradition claims
a victim, Father Gasquet suggests that he may possibly have been the sub-prior. It is almost certain,
however, that the sub-prior survived the dissolution from the way in which he is referred to in a docu-
ment already quoted (Excli. Special Conunissions, No. 1747). Tliere is absolutely no proof that any of
the Hexham fraternity sutifered for their rebellion. The l^ing only ordered their execution if they had
been in arms since his proclamation of pardon, and as they were absolved from this offence by Carnaby's
declaration, it is almost certain that they all escaped. Augustine Webster, who has been confidently
named as the last prior of Hexham, was really prior of Axholme and a Cistercian monk, not an Austin
canon. That Jay was the last prior of Hexham is beyond a doubt.
* This at least is Father Gasquet's opinion. Wright asserts, on the other hand, that only those under
twenty four years of age were left penniless, the others were allowed 40s. a year and a gown. He sa.ys
there were fourteen canons at this time. History of He.xham, p. 19S. Unfortunately he gives no authority
for these statements, and upon this subject the State papers are a blank.
164 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
were pillaged. Plate, jewels, etc., weighing 359 ounces, were found and
valued at £b% 9s. £10 was paid for vestments, and Carnaby bought a
quantity of vessels for ^14. The total value of the various movables
thus taken, including a quantity of cattle, lead, etc., amounted to ;^5o6
IDS. 8d. The inhabitants of the country side would not allow the authorised
pillagers of the Crown to carry off everything. Some bold thieves entered
the prior's chamber and stole a ' counterpoynte ' and a candlestick. Others,
meanwhile, drove off thirty-six head of cattle which the commissioners could
not find. The duke of Norfolk, as his share of the plunder, claimed three
splendid suits of vestments, one of cloth of gold, one of bawdkin, and one of
velvet.^
The site of the monastery was handed over to Reginald Carnaby at
the low rent of 1 7s. 4d. Although soon after the sum of ;^400 was offered
for it,^ Carnaby remained in possession, and built a house for himself
there. He farmed the lands of the late priory for the king, and he
bought most of the movables as they were put up for sale. But he did not
prosper. No son was born to his house, and when he died he left only three
daughters to succeed him. A similar misfortune seemed to pursue his
family, and the superstitious country people attributed all to his sin in
entering upon the stolen possessions of the priory.
By the dissolution the history of the priory as a religious institution was
definitely brought to a close, and this section in the history of the church
may therefore be appropriately terminated with a list of those who officiated
as priors from Asketill onwards.
List of the Priors of Hexham.'
Asketill
...
1114
died 18th March, 11 30.
Robert Biseth
1 130
re5i>;ned 1 141.
Richard
...
confirmed 1 1 42
died circa 11 74-8. (?)
John
circa II 74-8
died circa 1209.
William
circa 1209
/. 1215.
Bernard ...
/. 1226, 1242.
John de Lasenby ...
/. 1251. 1271.
Henry de Merdene,
prior of
Oseney
elected 1269
died 1281.
William del Clay ...
...
Jan. 29th, 1281
; con-
firmed Feb.
28th
died circa 1292.
' Exch. Ministers' Accounts, 27-29 Henry V'HI. No. 200, m i, 2.
" Cat. State Papers, Henry VI H. xii. pt. ii. 548.
' Compiled from Hexham Priory, i. preface, pp. cxl.-clxxix. The reason for changing the date of
Prior Richard's death will be seen on p. 135, note.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW.
.65
Thomas de Kenwick
(jilbert dc Boioughbridgc
(As he was never properly
Robert de Whclpington
Thomas de Appleton
John de Bridekirk
John de Walworth
William dc Kendal
Alexander de Marton
John de Hexham ...
William de Woodhorne
John de Brawby ...
Thomas Ferrer
John Welles
William By well ...
Rowland Leschman
Thomas Smithson
Edward Jay
.. I2Q3
nominated 4th July,
1311 ...
elected he can hardly be c
.. 12th Jan., 13 1 2
.. Oct., 1328
.. 22nd Oct., 1345
.. Oct., 1349
■• Aug., 1358
.. 29th July, 1367
.. 19th Feb., 1399
.. June, 1409
.. Feb., 1428
.. 2gth June, 1443
1st Dec, 1457
.. May, 1476
.. 22nd March, 1480 ..
.. 4th June, 1491
.. 9th May, 1524
resigned April, [311.
objected to by canons.
assed among the priors. J
resigned I2th Sept., 1328.
died circa 1345.
died circa 1349.
died circa 1358.
died circa June, 1366.
resigned circa 1398.
died circa 1409.
died circa 1428.
died circa May, 1443.
resigned 1457.
died 27th Dec, 1475.
died i6th Feb., 1480.
died 1491.
died 1524.
deposed 26th Feb., 1536.
Although spared at the time of the dissolution because it was the parish
church, the priory then lost all its possessions, and the whole of its endow-
ments had disappeared. Before the dissolution the cure of the parish had
been entrusted to a priest, probably one of the canons, who was nominated
by the prior, but it is uncertain what provision was made for this subsequent
to 1536. The accounts of the priory estate for the year running from
Michaelmas, 1535, to Michaelmas, 1536, contain the entry, £4 paid to the
curate of He.xham.^ This sum is noted as having been paid by the prior, for
though the dissolution had been decreed, it had not been carried out in
Hexham at that date. From the nature of the entry it would seem as if
Carnaby, the king's receiver for the possessions of the late priory, was bound
to pay £4 yearly to the curate of He.xham out of the revenues which he
received. Nothing certain, however, can be stated upon this point, and it is
not until the 12th of April, 1579, that anything definite is known about the
endowment of the curacy. In that year Queen Elizabeth granted the tithes
which had belonged to the priory to Sir Christopher Hatton, especially
reserving a certain sum for ecclesiastical purposes, out of which 20 marks,
£iT) 6s. 8d., were to be paid annually to the curate of Hexham for ever.^
With this small endowment the curates were forced to rest content until
1728, when the living was augmented by a sum from Queen Anne's
' E.xch. Min. Acct. 27-28 Hen. VIII. No. lor, m. 5. Aug. Off. Misc. Bks. vol. 281, Bailiffs' Accounts
p. 15 b. ' Land Revenue Off. Auditors' Enrolments, xviii. ff. 262-3 b-
1 66 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
bounty, amounting to ^420, though the money was not definitely invested
until 1747. In 1758 vSir William Blackett gave ,^389 towards the augmen-
tation of the living, to which Sir Edward Blackett added another ^100, and
the money thus obtained was invested in a turnpike trust. In 1763 Arch-
deacon John vSharp, who was actively interesting himself in the district,
caused a commission to be held on the nature of the living with a view to
its further augmentation.' In a terrier of the church taken in 181 7, besides
the property mentioned above, two other items are included : lands at
Delicate hall, in the town fields of Hexham, worth _^i8 los. a year, and
Smelting Sike, with a burgage in Hexham fields, worth ^28 a year.'^ Arch-
deacon Thomas Sharp had previously interested himself in obtaining a house
for the curate, and in 1746 he was able to write to the archbishop that Mr.
Calverley Blackett had promised the ground, Dr. Thomlinson, of Durham,
had offered to give ^30, and Sir Edward Blackett and Mr. Thomas Allgood
proposed to raise a subscription in the town, to which they themselves
would contribute handsomely.^ It is doubtful, however, if this house was
ever built. The residence usually occupied by the curates stood in the
passage behind the old priory gateway, and was a seventeenth-century
building. The house at present occupied by the rector, Mr. Barker, does
not belong to the living.
Since the time of the drawing up of the terrier in 181 7 two other
endowments have been added to the living, both out of the common fund
of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the one of ^^285 capital, and the other
of _£47 a year.* In addition to the real property and fixed income mentioned
above, the curate is entitled to the ordinary surplice fees, and besides these
the terrier of 1817 mentions a payment of 4d. for each plough in the parish,
and of 2d. from each family not possessing a plough. The present gross
value of the living is returned at /320, the net value being :^2'jo.^
It was perhaps fortunate for Hexham that it was not forced to depend
entirely upon the ministrations and slender resources of its curate. In 1625,
by his will dated March 30th, Richard Fishborn, a member of the Mercers'
company, London, bequeathed the sum of ;^ 2,800 to be devoted to ecclesi-
astical purposes :
Item, I give and bequeathe to the wardens and commonalty of the myster>' of mercers at London the
' Archbishop of York's Papers. ■ Chunhwcirdens' Papers. ' Archbishop of York's Papers.
* Loudon Gazette, Mar. 4, 1864 ; Jan. I, 1867. * Diocesan Calendar.
THE CHtlRCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 67
sum of ^2,800 therewith to buy and purchase two more parsonages, rectories, or church hvings antiently
appropriated to some abbey, monastery, or religious house or houses, and now commonly called impro-
priations, the same to be in Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, or some other northern county or counties of this
land, where the said company of mercers shall best fit themselves with such a purchase, and find most
want of the preaching of the word of God to be. And the said church livings and impropriations so
purchased and had, my will is, shall be from time to time, successively, for ever, by the said wardens and
commonalty of the mystery of the mercers of London, after their wonted custom of election by most votes
at their general courts conferred, bestowed, and conveyed upon two or more ministers respectively for
and during such term or terms, and in such manner and form, and witli such cautil and provision, that if
they or any of them, shall prove non-resident, or have any other benefice or church living, with cure of
souls, then the said warden and commonalty, and their successors, from time to time, for ever, shall and
may remove, displace, dismiss, deprive, and eject them, or any of them, out of the said impropriations, or
any of them, and elect and place another, or others, in his or their room, according to their good
discretion.' .•^nd I heartily entreat the said wardens and commonalty, for God's sake, that they will be
very careful from time to time to make choice of such as be well-known to be honest, discreet, learned
men, fearing God, and painful in their ministry, that by their life and doctrine they may win many
souls to Christ Jesus. -
In accordance with the directions contained in the foregoing clause the
Mercers' company, in 1628, bought of Sir John Fenwick a messuage and
orchard in Hexham, and all the great and little tithes of Little Swinburn,
Keepwick, Errington, Bingfield, and Colwell, being part of the possessions
of the late priory of Hexham. In 1631 they purchased the great tithes of
Chollerton and Barrasford, with a moiety of the great tithes of Woodhorn,
Widdrington, the two Steeds, North Seaton, Creswell, Horton, Horton
demesnes, Hirst, Hutton, Ellington, Linton, and Linmouth, all in North-
umberland.^ With this property the lectureship at Hexham was founded.
In 1 746 Archdeacon Sharp stated that the original value of the lecture-
ship was _£8o a vear, but he added that since the enclosure of the commons
its value had doubled." Soon after, ^50 was deducted from the Hexham
lectureship to found a similar institution for Chollerton and the chapels of
St. Oswald and St. Mary's, Bingfield.'* The value of the lectureship, never-
theless, continued to increase, and at the present time the commutation value
is ,7^562 I OS. annually.
As might be supposed, the fabric suffered from the poverty of the church
brought about by the dissolution. It seems certain that the building suffered
from the most grievous neglect during the sixteenth and seventeenth cen-
turies. Soiuetime in the seventeenth century an agreement was come to
between the impropriator and the parishioners that the former should repair
' This provision has been construed as follows : the lecturer may not, at the time of his election, hold
or retain another benefice, but if he shall subsequently take another benefice it is held that his so doing
does not vacate the lectureship. - Wallis, Novthiimberland, ii. p. 99.
'' Ibid. p. 100. ' Archbishop of York's Papers. ^ Wallis, Northumberland ii. p. 100.
I 68 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
the choir and the hitter the steeple, the north and south transepts, and
all the remaining parts of the church.' It is doubtful which section of the
church suffered most by this arrangement, for by the end of the seventeenth
century the entire structure seems to have been in the most lamentable
condition. At the beginning of the eighteenth century the churchwardens'
accounts are full of entries of payments made for various repairs, and of
church rates levied for the purpose of meeting such demands. None of
these expedients sufficed, however, and finally the inhabitants of the town
signed a memorial asking that the church might be repaired out of a county
rate.^ Apparent! v, this petition was not granted, but in 1725 a brief was
issued which realised _£,'i040, and considerable repairs were effected with this
money.' In 1740 Sir Edward Blackett, in pursuance of a faculty obtained
from the archbishop, filled the interior of the choir with pews and galleries.
This work was carried out at the sole expense of Sir Edward Blackett,
who reserved the front seat for himself The state of the church after
it had received these interior fittings is, perhaps, most vividlv described
by Miss Mitford in a letter printed in a later part of this volume. The
repairs carried out in 1725 were only of a temporary character, and
more money was urgently needed to preserve the building from decay ;
none, however, was forthcoming. In 1828 a part of the east end of the
church fell down, breaking through the roof of the ' Old School ' below,
and destroying the town lamps that were stored there.* However nothing
was done to save the church from ruin till several years later, when, in
1 84 1, a public meeting was called to consider the question of thoroughly
restoring the church. A subscription list was opened, and sufficient money
for the repairs was soon collected. Once begun, the work was pushed
' Wright, Hist, of Hexham, p. 55.
- Hodgson ^[SS. Petition of minister, wardens, sidemen, and twenty-four of Hexham to the justices in
quarter session, held at Hexhani 13th July, 1709. The parishioners had expended upon the repairs of the
abbey church sums amounting in all to £1,168 19s., including the roof of that part of it called St. Mary's
chapel.
At the same sessions the grand jury made a presentment, 'We having viewed Hexham parish church
doe find the same in very great decay, and severall rents and cracks on the walls, and the same being a
very auncient fabrick, believe it is in very great danger of falling, whereby ye timber, lead, and other
materiall will be much wasted and spoiled, and in reguard that ye inhabitants have laid out upwards of
^1,200 in endeavouring to support the same, and now part of it is lately fallen, upon the Lord's day, in
time of divine service, to the great terror and consternation of the auditory and danger of their lives, and
that the said inhabitants are not able to support much less to rebuild the same, and wee therefore make it
our earnest request that the bench will be pleased to make such a certificate, in order to procure a briefe
for her majestic to procure the charitable assistance of well-disposed christians through the kingdom for
the rebuilding of the said church as shall be thought convenient.' Bill Collection.
' Wright, Hist. 0/ Hexham, p. 82. ' Sykes, Local Records, ii. p. 225.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 69
forward with great energy, but with more zeal than discretion. It having
been admitted that Hexham was one of the finest examples of thirteenth-
century architecture in England, it seems to have been concluded that
everything in the building that was not of that date should be destroyed.
The 'Old School ' or 'Lady Chapel' and a doorway erected by the Mercers'
company were speedily demolished. The numerous ancient gravestones of
the place were either broken up and used as flag stones or thrown away. A
great quantity of beautifully carved woodwork and some mediaeval paintings,
including the famed Ogle shrine and an altar-piece it contained, were given
to the contractor as old lumber. But although so much harm was done, it
would be unjust to deny that much good work was also accomplished. The
unsightly galleries and pews in the interior of the church were swept away,
as were the mean and ugly buildings which were built up against its east
end, while the whole edifice was put in a thorough state of repair.
Since this date there is very little to be added to the history of the
church. In 1837 the ecclesiastical connection with York was terminated,
and the church became subject to the see of Durham. In 1842 it was
included in the rural deanery of Hexham as part of the archdeaconrv of
Northumberland, and subsequently it has been transferred from the see of
Durham to that of Newcastle.^ On the 14th of December, 1866, the living
was declared a rectorv.''
Curates of Hexham.
1567, Dec. 6th. Joha Mekc, mentioned in the depositions of the ecclesiastical court of York.
1587, i8th Nov. John Dobson, mentioned.
1603, I2th Oct. .'\nthonie Thompson, admitted.
1635, loth July. Benoni Steer,'- admitted.
1655 or 1656. George Ritschell,'- born at Deutschkana, on the borders of Bohemia, 13th Feb., 1616,
new style; educated at Strasburg university. He left Bohemia owing to the persecutions of the Emperor
Ferdinand II., and settled his estate upon his younger brother upon the condition that he should receive
money for his travelling expenses. He proceeded to Oxford, but on the outbreak of the Civil War he left
England to travel in Holland, Denmark, and Poland. Returning to England after 1644, he took up
quarters in Kettle hall, Oxford, and remained there until he was appointed master of the Newcastle
grammar school. His next appointment was to Hexham, where he continued until his death in 16S3.
He was author of two learned works, \\hich bore the following titles : Contemplaciones Metaphysicae,
Oxford, 1648, and reprinted at Frankfort 'by the desire of many learned men,' and Dissertatio dc Cere-
moniis Ecclesiae Anglicanae qua usus earum licitus ostenditur, et a superstitionis et idolatriae crimine
vindicatur. Auctore Georgio Ritschell, Hexhamiae, in Northumbria, ministro, London, 1661. The
former of these works won hitii the friendship of Bishop Cosin of Durham.^
' Supra, p. 64. -London Gazette. 'Anthony a Wood, Aihcnae Oxonienses, ed. Bliss, iv. 124.
* Also lecturer.
Vol. III. 22
1 "O HEXHAM BOROUGH.
1683. George Ritschell," son of the above. Baptised at St. John's, Newcastle, and educated at the
Newcastle grammar school. He entered as a candidate for the Durham scholarship at Corpus Christ!
college, Oxford, but was passed over in favour of one who was not born in the diocese. The corporation
of Newcastle appealed to the visitor of the college in his behalf, but without success. He subsequently
entered .St. Edmund hall at the same university, matriculating 29th of May, 1674, ag^ed 17. He gradu-
ated B.A. 17th Jan., 1678. Upon the death of his father he succeeded him as curate of Hexham, a post
he retained until his death in T717. During the earlier part of his life at Hexham he appears to have
suffered from the persistent enmity of Thomas Allgood, the bailiff of the manor. In 1699 a determined
attempt was made to turn him out of the curacy. Allgood had organised a regular opposition in the
town, and they drew up a series of accusations against the curate, which they laid before the archbishop
of York. Of these charges the principal were : that Ritschell was a very litigious person, at variance with
most of his parishioners; that he styled himself the archbishop's deputy, and threatened to cite people for
every frivolous matter ; that he intended to re-introduce the High Commission Court and the ex-officio
oath ; and that he was a man of a very unquiet temper, malicious, and much addicted to lying.
At the October court of 1698 Sir William Blackctt had appeared and enquired whether it would be
possible to remove Ritschell from the curacy, adding that, if it were, he would turn him out immediately.
On the 20th of May, 1699, he wrote the following letter :
Newcastle, 20 May, 1699.
Sir, I am obliged to the assistance you gave my ffriends att Hexham against their scandalous parson,
for he's a perfect plague to that town, and by his quarrelsome conversation drives people away from the
church to conventicles. I am told he is no more than my curate att pleasure ; if he be then I am sure
my duty to the church would command me to turn him out, but he being within the diocess of one for
whom I have more than an ordinary veneration I am not willing to do anything that might give the
least umbrage of an offence to his lordship by seeming to intermeddle with any of his clergy more than
does become me, but the truth is, I am made very uneasy with the man by perpetuall complaints against
him, nor has his carriage to me been so civill as I might have expected from him. I inust therefore
desire you to advise me wliat manner I must do itt, and whether you think my lord archbishop will take
any offence att itt, and you will much oblige, Sir, your most humble servant. W.M. I5LACKETT.
Against all these attacks Ritschell defended himself with energy and spirit, answering some of the
charges brought against him, and pointing out the absurdity of others. He asserted that Sir William
Blackett's action against him was caused by nothing else than his resentment because he had voted
for Mr. Forster at the last election, and not for Sir William Blackett's candidate. He explains that his
right to vote was derived from the curacy, and adds, ' Mr. Allgood desires to have a curate that he can
manage at pleasure, because the lord of the manor is impropriator, and has an absolute right to the
church, and that his bailiff ought to manage everything under him ; and being parsona imparsonce, as
every minister may chose his own curate, so he may turn me off at pleasure.' In spite of the efforts of
his enemies, Ritschell was not turned out, and it may therefore be assumed that Sir William Blackett did
not possess so much power over the curacy as he imagined, that it was, in fact, a perpetual curacy, even
before the augmentation of the living.
While engaged in these disputes with Allgood, Ritschell entered into a religious controversy with a
Roman Catholic polemic, Thomas Ward, a friend of the Radcliffe family. Ward published his account of
the controversy in a book entitled A Conference with Mr. Ritschd, Vicar of Hexham. Ritschell replied in
1698 at great length ; and long after Ward's death the last word in the dispute was issued, with the title
An Interesting Controversy with Mr. Ritschel, Vicar of Hexham, by Thomas Ward, from a MS. written by
Himself, Manchester, 1819.
Ritschell was indefatigable in collecting the records of his church and parish, and copied out with his
own hand the old clmrch registers, and the names of fonner churchwardens, from the churchwardens'
books. His only published work is An Account of certain Charities, containing a catalogue of several
Benefactors, who have given or left anything to pious and Charitables Uses, as the Church, the Poor or
Free-Schools, in Tynedale-Ward, in the County of Northumberland. Made at Easter, 1713. Also
* Also lecturer.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. I7I
copies and Abstracts of several Hequests and Settlements, for the Use of those concerned in the manage-
ment and Distriljution of such Charities. With some remarks thereupon. To which is added a Brief
Account and Description of the Parish and Parish-Church of Hexham, in the County aforesaid. New-
castle-upon-Tyne, 1713. The book was republished, with additions, in 1780.'
1724, Sep. 13th. William Graham, ordained deacon June 15th, 1712 ; priest 21st Dec, 1713. The
first augmentation of the living was made in his time, and he at once licensed an assistant curate. This
practice of appointing assistant curates has been regularly followed since then.
1765. Peter Kuniney, M.A., also master of the grammar school.
1771. George Busby, also master of the grammar school, succeeded on Runmcy's death.
1799, April 20th. William Fleming, M.A., licensed to the curacy on Busby's death.
1809. Anthony Hedley, son of Edward Hedley, born at Hopefoot, near Otterburn, 29th March,
1777. Educated at Glasgow and Edinburgh universities in 1795 and 1796. In 1809 he was appointed
curate of St. John Lee. He resigned his charge at Hexham in 1813 and went as stipendiary curate to
Whelpington, where he distinguished himself as 'a bold and unwearied manager of parochial schools.'
In 1809 he resigned his charge, and went to live in Newcastle, where he remained until he was appointed
rector of Whitfield. In this charge he remained until his death in 1835, aged 57 years. At Newcastle he
acted as manager of the Savings Bank, and took an active part in the affairs of the Literary and
Philosophical Society. As an antiquary he was enthusiastic and indefatigable. He contributed papers to
the Neurastlc Magazine, Mackenzie and Dent's History of Northuinhcrland, and the ArcJiaologia ^Etiana.
He rendered valuable assistance to the Rev. John Hodgson in compiling his History of Northumberland,
particularly by transcribing parts of several parish registers."
1814, March 21st. John Gibson appointed; he resigned Sep. 21;, 1826.
1826, Dec. 13. William Airey appointed. He had been assistant curate under Gibson for two years.
Matriculated at Queen's college, Oxford, loth October, 1818, aged 18. B.A., 1822; M.A., 1826. Vicar
of Bramley, Hants, 1845, until his death, i6th March, 1869.^
1845, Feb. 22. Joseph Hudson, licensed by the bishop of Durham on the cession of Airey. After-
wards vicar of Chillingham.
1866, Aug. 18. Henry Christopher Barker,* licensed on the cession of Hudson. Educated at Caius
college, Cainbridge. B.A., 1840; M.A., 1845. Perpetual curate of Morton and East Stockwith, 1846-62;
appointed lecturer of Hexham, 1862; became rector of Hexham, 1866; hon. canon of Durham, 1872-82;
hon. canon of Newcastle, 18S2; rural dean of Hexham, 1866-86.'
' Yoilf^r, Ahimni Oxonienses. Scholac Novocastrensis Alumni. Archbishop of York's Papers. Ritschell's
will is dated June 14th, 1717; it runs as follows:
George Ritschell of Hexhain, clerk and lecturer of Hexham. To my dear and loving sister, Jane
Ritschell, iijoo to purchase a reall estate of ^26 per ann., to descend, after her death, to my nephew,
George Sheldon, he paying therefrom, when he enjoys it and is 35, /'lo per ann. for ever, i.e., to the
minister and churchwardens of St. John's, Newcastle, the place of my nativity, 40s. a year to be distrib''
to 4C) poor widows on St. Thomas' day, is. each ; other 40s. per ann. to the min. and chw''* of the city of
Carlisle, where my dear mother was born, to 40 poor widows, on the same day ; also 40s. to the Mercers'
lecturer of Hexham, where I now dwell, to 40 poor widows on the same day; 40s. per ann. to the min' of
Whitley chappell in Hexhamshire, and failing a min' there, to the mercers' lecturer at Hexham for the
poor of Hexhamshire and Slcaly parish ; the other 40s. per ann. to the stewards of the Soc. of the Sons of
the Clergy, which meet at Newcastle every year upon this anniv'' feast. If the soc. be discontinued, or
do not meet at Newcastle, the s'' 40s. to go to the mercers' lecf at Hexham for six poor clergymen's
widows within Tundale warde, a noble each, or to ch" if not widows, the mercers' lecf at Hexham, the
min' of St. John's, Newcastle, and the stewards of the Sons of the Clergy to be in trust for these legacies.
To my bro' in law, Mr. Wm. Sheldon, and Mary, his wife, my dear and loving sister, each ^^5. Nephew
and godson, Geo. Sheldon all my books. I order that my parcell of oake timber wood in Hexham old
schoole, being about 22 tunn, be sold for the use of my ex'. To my successor my buriall place in
Hexham church, w''' I bought of Mr. Thos. Johns, and the two moveable beehouses in the garden, etc.,
etc., in the lecturer's house, wherein I now dwell, on cond. that my sister, Jane Ritschell, may live there
a year after my decease that she may settle her affaires. To .Mr. Thos. Johns, some time my reader, and
to John Goss, my parish clerk, each a guinea. Residue to sister, Jane Ritschell ; she is executrix.
'' Hodgson, Northumberland, II. iii. pp. 331-4; Latimer, Local Records, pp. 34-5.
' Foster, Alumni Oxonicnses. ' Diocesan Calendar. ''■'■ Also lecturer.
172 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Lfxturers of Hexham.
1628, Dec. 15th. Bcnoni Steer.t
1651, Feb. I7tli. Thomas Tilliam.'
1656, Feb. i8th. George Ritschcll.f
1684, June i8th. George Ritschcll,f jun., on the death of his father.
1717, Nov. I. Thomas Andrews, on the death of Ritschell. Educated at Queen's college, Oxford.^
Admitted at York, May 9th, 1718. Buried at Hexham, July i8th, 1757.
1753) July "111- Will of Thomas Andrews of Hexham, ilerk To my niece. Honour Andrewes, my
silver canns, waiter, and tea spoons, and my cabbonet of shell work : to my niece, Ann Andrews, my
silver tankard and table spoons. To my brother, Mr. Gerard Andrewes, a ring of a guinea. My
kinsman, Rev. Mr. Gerrard Andrews of Leicester ; my friends. Rev. Mr. Peter Stewert, Dr. John
Speed, and Mr. Thos. Henzell each a like ring. To my brother, Mr. Robert .Andrews of Hexham, the
garden I have purchased of Mrs. Doro. Shafto of He.\ham, and the new stone house I have built
therein, and in which I now dwell, a loft or gallery erected by my proper cost in the parish church of
Hexham: a vault or 'burying place' at the west end of the said church, where I have deposited the body
of my late brother, Mr. Lawrence Andrews; also the burying place in the north ile of Hexham church,
which was bequeathed to me by the will of my predecessor, Mr. George Ritschel, on certain conditions,
which were fully performed, and where I have deposited the body of my late sister, Mrs. Sarah Bloome;
to him my other buildings, etc., in Hexham, and the lands, etc., in co. Hants, which I hold by lease from
the provost and scholars of Queen's coll., Oxford, by the name of the manor of Heckley; also my lease
of Bayly's lands adjoining to Heckley farm by lease from Mr. Nichols. To my late senant, Hannah
Oliver, now wife of Thomas Oliver, of Hexham, an oaken box now standing in my chamber, marked
Number 9, with the contents not opnd but by herself, and which I have already put into her possession
by giving her the key of it and liberty to remove it after my decease^. Residue to my brother, Mr. Robt.
Andrews, my executor. Proved 4th Feb., 1758.'
1758, March loth. William Totton, M.A., on the death of Andrews. Fellow of St. John's college,
Cambridge; author of a sermon on the Hexham riot. Admitted at York, October loth, 1758.
1766, Feb. 26th. Sloughter Clarke, B..^., on the resignation of Totton. .\dmitted at York, April 1st,
1766.
1788, Dec. 6th. Joseph Fell, licensed at York as assistant lecturer; stipend ^50 a year.
1801, March 5th. Robert Clarke, M.\., a native of Hexham, on the resignation of Sloughter Clarke.
Admitted at York, March 19th, 1801. Died in London, .\pril 20th, 1S24 ; buried at Hexham on May 2nd
following.
1824. Charles Lee, M.,A.., on the death of Clarke, .'\dmitted at York, Feb. i8th, 1825. Perpetual
curate of St. John Lee; resided at Brunton.
1862. Henry Christopher Barker, J M.A.
MlSCELLANE.\.
1567. Robert Bayman of Hexham, yeoman, says that he, beinge the par)-she clerke of Hexham,
chanced to be in the parishe churche of Hexham upon a Sunday, whiche was the loth day of May last
past, abowt x or xi of the clocke in the foore nowne, where and when he did here and se Sir John Meke,
the curate of He.xham, standing in the pulpyt there say as followeth: Here I have a citacion frome my
lorde his grace of Yorke againste John Colson, by vertue whereof I cite hime the said John Colson to
appeare at Yorke suche a day, expressinge a certaine day, to answere to suche matters as George Stowte
For further particulars about Tilham see pp. 206-7.
■ Foster {Alumni Oxonicnscs) only gives one Andrews of Queen's college who could correspond with
the lecturer of Hexham. He was the son of George Andrews of Battersea, Surrey, gent. He matriculated
at Queen's college, May 26th, 1699, aged 20; B.A., 1703; M.A., 12th March, 1706. Vicar of Llanover,
CO. Monmouth, 1703, and of Burbage, Wilts. This does not quite agree with the monument to him in
He.xham church, which says that he died in 1757, aged 80 years, though the discrepancy is not consider-
able.
Raine, Test. Ehor. I .\lso curate.
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 1 73
woldc tlicr lay against hime. And the said John Colsonnc standing by said lie wold answere yt ; and
ther openly cliarged the said George Stowte with fellony, sayeing that he had burned his house; and
therupon chardged two sergiantes, beinge the bailif of Hexham's officers, to arestc the said George
Stowte of fellony. And the said Colson dyd then and ther give the same sergiantes his hande that he
wolde enter bounde to fellow upon the said George .Stowte at the nexte sessions at Newcastle so scone as
the balif of Hexham came home. Whereupon the said two sergiantes did arcste the said George .Stowte
of fellony, and carried hime to Hexham prison imediatcly, where he remayned all nyghte, and after was
bound in recognisaunce eyther in xl'' or xx", with two sufficient suerties with him, viz., Cuthberte Hayden
and Edwarde Stowte, that he shoulde appeare at the next sessions at Newcastle, and not to depart owte
of the liberties of Hexham without leve and license of his said suerties, of this e-x'*" certaine knowledge;
for althoughe this ex'"' were not presente when the same recognisaunce was acknowledged, yet nevcrtheles
this ex'" many times helpinge the balif of Hexham to make recognisaunces and other wrytinge, did se the
same recognisaunce and red yt over ; at whiche time the said bailif asked him whether yt were in forme
or no, and he said yea.'
The parish register of Hexham begins m 1579.
1 587, 14th Sept. Geo. Rowtlidge of Nobbock, slain.
1641, 15th June. Roberte Purde, a souldier of ye Scotish regiment, and — Sharpe, daugh.ter of
Thomas Tinker, by Mr. .Samuel Augsten, preacher to y' regiment.
16SS, 27th Feb. Thomas Locke, a pretended doctor, married to Jane Inglesby ; y' he after marryed
one Mrs. Elizabeth Clarke of Markett Welton in ye East Rideing, York, for which he was prosecuted, but
pleaded his majestie's pardon.
1689, i6th July. Mr. John Eaton, a councill in Dublin, a private centinell in Capt. Kelham's troup,
slain by his comrades.
1689, 23rd Oct. Cuthbert Ridley, miller, perished with cold.
The earliest existing churchwardens' book begins in 1699, though George Ritschell, jun., copied out
the names of the churchwardens from a much earlier period. In 1607 separate churchwardens were
elected for the town and shire, four for each, chosen respectively by the four quarters of the shire and the
four wards of the borough.
1699. Ritschell writes that the church slate roof is in a very bad state of repair. He had summoned
meetings to deal with the matter, but nothing had been done, because it was thought that the roof was in
such a bad condition that it would have to be entirely reconstructed. The churchwardens had refused
to do anything, but he had persuaded the four and twenty to undertake the matter. Ritschell himself
had caused the old lead roof to be replaced by one of slates, and obtained the consent of the church-
wardens and four and twenty to this alteration.
RitschelFs eftorts to repair the church called down the following order: 'Mr. Ritchell shall not
hereafter medle with the repairs of the church, or make any bargains for repairs or other work, but leave
the same to the management of the said four and twenty, as hath been accustomed.' The parish fees
were also fixed as follows: Burial, 8d. ; marriage, when the banns are published, is. 3d.; marria>je license,
2S. 6d. ; churching of women, 6d. Papists and dissenters double in each case.
Churchwardens' accounts, 1701. Paid the rogue money, 13s. 4d.; paid Amos Raw for ft'ox heads,
6s. Sd.; paid William Hill for brock heads, 4s. lod.; paid Mr. Pearson for vermin, 6s. 8d.; paid Mr.
Shaftoe for a ffox head and two otter heads, is. 8d.; paid Richard Gibson for a catt head, 4d.; paid
George Kell for glazing windows, 24s.; paid Philip Aydon for dailes, is. 8d.; paid Thomas Hunter for
making and mending the church window, los. 6d.
1702. Paid for powder to banish the pidgeons, lod. ; paid to James Renwick for a foomert's head, 4d.
1705. Paid Mr. Davison for oyles for the bells, 8d.
1726. Paid for Errington's coat and staff, 31s.; paid Harrison for the school windows, 14s. 6d.
A true and perfect inventory of all and singular ye goods and chattels, moveables and immoveables,
rights and creditts of Mathew Mitcheson of Hexham, etc. Chapman deceased, apprized ye 13th day of
March, 1699.
' Eccles. Court of York, Dec. 6, 1567.
174
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
i
s.
d.
His purse and apparcll
05
0(J
00
A parcell of lining clo
ath
04
05
00
A parcell of kentings
05
00
00
Musling ...
02
00
00
Uimitty and teeking
02
00
00
Blew lin ...
03
00
00
Blew and white linn
01
'5
00
Inckle handkerchiefs
and skcene
03
00
00
Lace
02
05
00
Neckcloaths
00
10
00
s. d.
02
12
00
)r 03
00
00
34
07
00
6
10
00
40
17
00
33
00
00
athbert Bell,
late
er, A.D.
1704
,by
i s.
d.
3 6
8
I 00 00
00 10 00
Cambrick stript line hoods skins
and hare
More goods at Newcastle, sold fo
Debts oweing to ye dec''
Total
Debts oweing by ye dec'
\ true and perfect inventory of all and singular y'' goods and chattels
of Hexham, skinner and glover, deceased, valued and apprized the 27th day of September, a.d.
us whose names are hereunto subscribed, as foUoweth, viz.:
Imprimis, his apparrell and purse, valued at
Item, in ye store house, one press, cupbord, one table, one fforme, two wood
chaires, one dresser, and one craddle, valued at
Item, in y'' parlour, one close bedd, one fifeather bed and ffurniture, one cupbord,
one pair of drawers, one table, one fform, eight chaires, one little box, one
voider, and some pictures, valued at
Item, in y'" roome above y" parlour, one old bedstead with a chafife bedd, bolster
and happins, one old chest, and one lint wheel, valued att
Item, in y' roome above y' storehouse, one little table, one old chest, one little
chair, and a parcell of wool, valued att ...
Item, a parcel of dressed leather and sixty pelts, valued att
Item, pewther, brass, and iron geer, valued att
Item, one trunk with linnen, valued att ... ...
Item, wood and earthen vessell, valued att ...
Item, one galloway nagg, two kine, two cowes, and fifteen sheep, walued att
Item, one parcell of hay, valued att ...
Item, one swine, valued att
Debts and funerall expenses
Rests 13 I 8
1702, 23rd Oct. Thomas Leanwood, glover, a drummer under Colonel Fen wick at Longmarston
Moor, fought anno 1642 {sic) ; buried.
1710, 23rd June. If any dissenter's child, who hath been baptized, dye, if ye parents do not desire ye
prayers of ye church for it before it dye, they are not to have the bell and bellman, and to pay double fee.
1713, 2nd March. John Thirhvall of East Grindridge, killed by creeping into a fox hole in Dipton
Cleugh.
1716, nth April. George Yarrow, hatter, aged towards 100 years, bellman and sexton of this parish
for 70 years.
1716. Bowes, son of Gerard .Andrew, gen., commissary or muster-master, bapt. about the latter end
of Oct., 1715, and rec'' 3 May, 1716. Test: Dr. Bowes of Durham; Madam Jane Bowes, his sister;
and Mrs. Mary Shafto of Spittle.
Gerard, another son, born 26 and bapt. 28 .A.pr., 1719. Test: Capt. Gills Peacock, Mr. Gills Dawson
and Mrs. Ann Challoner.
1720, i2th July. Dorothy Christiana Withagen, a poore Hanoverian; buried.
1721, 2nd Jan. Ann Fairlamb of the shire, shot by Capt. Burley; buried.
4
3
4
1
5
00
2
00
00
I
10
00
00
3
4
7
00
00
2
GO
00
0
3
4
27
I
8
•4
00
00
THE CHURCH AND PRIORY OF ST. ANDREW. 175
1723. Office against Robert Allj^ood fur buying a liorsc on Sunday.
1724. Office against William Hecron for feeding his swine within or at the church door.
1725. Office against (;ilbert Errington for prophaneing the Lord's day by frec|uenting ale houses in
time of divine service.
1725. Office against Edward Cliarlelon and Eliza his wife. He did not appear. Eliza Bell was
forcibly by him taken into a publick liousc on her way to church on .Sunday morning, and married by
James Laing.
1734. Office against Nicholas Ridley for prophaneing the Lord's day by gathering nutts.
1737. Licence to Thomas Andrews, lecturer of Hexham, and his family, while inhabiting in the
parish of Hexham, to use as a burying place, an ancient stone vault scituate in the west part of the
churchyard of Hexham, at the west end or side of the tower near to the great new buttress in the north,
and the lesser buttress on the south, and the said tower on the east, and on the west, to that part of the
churchyard which is not now made use of to bury in, about 10 feet under ground, 13 feet in length, and 7
feet in breadth.
1754. Licence to Sir Edward Blackett, bart., to convert a certain arch or vacant space of ground,
under the ancient treasury, and the way leading thereto at the south end of the south aisle of the parish
church, containing in length from east to west 14 yards, and in breadth from north to south 4 yards, into
a family burying place, with a door leading thereto from the south aisle.
1767, 27th April. Will of .\nne Andrewes the elder, of Hexham, widow, weak and advanced to great
age. To my daughter Anne for life ^fo per ann. To my daughter Hannah Andrews my lands and real
estate, my silver tea kettle and lamp, etc. .She executrix.
Codicil, 28th Sept.. 1767. Whereas my daughter Anne eloped from my house into Scotland with
Thomas Newton, and w^as there married without my consent and never returned to my house again, nor
did I ever see her afterwards, and died soon after her marriage without leaving any issue, I give the
/i,ooo (as left to my disposal by her father) to my most affectionate and dutifull daughter Honour
Andrewes. Proved 2 Sept., 1769.'
1795. Resolved that a reward or bounty of ^30 each shall be given to such able-bodied men as are
willing to serve in his majesty's navy for the said township, and that such reward or bounty shall be
immediately advertised in the Newcastle Courant and published by hand bills and other means.
1797, loth Aug. The Rev. Michael liarrier, French priest; buried.
1799, 17th Aug. Nicholas Cann, emigrant clergyman, rector of a parish called Pretot, Normandy;
buried.
1801, iSth April. Nicholas Le Cesne, P'rench priest, parish of Menville Le Bingard, Low Normandy;
buried.
Plate.
The Hexham church plate consists of eight pieces, which are as follows :
I and 2. Two cups, g inches high, 3-J inches in diameter. Inscribed, 'Bec|ucath'd by Robert Andrews,
esq., late of Hexham, to the parish church of Hexham, .^.D. 1764.'
3 and 4. Two plates, each 8 inches in diameter ; inscribed as the cups. The plates and cups together
weigh 52 oz. 4 dwt.
5. A cup, 9 inches high, 5 inches wide at the top, 4-! inches at the bottom. Inscrilied, '(;iven to St.
Andrew's church in Hexham by Mabel Hoorde, wid., 1634.'
6. Paten, 8 inches in diameter at top, 3A inches at bottom, 2i inches high. Inscribed as No. 5.
Weight, 12 oz.
7. Flagon, 11^ inches high, ji inches in diameter at top, 8 inches at bottom. Inscribed, 'Exdono
Johannis Aynsley, gent., anno Domini 1722.' Weight, 51 oz.
8. Oak staff, with silver head representing St. Andrew on the cross. Inscribed, 'The gift of the
Revd. R. Clarke, M.A., lecturer, to Hexham church, 1821.'-
During the restoration of the church an ancient miniature chalice was found on the breast of a skeleton
in a stone coffin lying in the north transept of tl;e church. It was of copper, and had been strongly gilt.
' Raine, Test. Eior. ' Pivc. Newc. Soc. Ant. iii. p. 72.
1/6 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
It was 2!,- inches higli, with 2i inches diameter. The Ijowl was hemispherical, with a beaded ring round
the base. It had a sliort stem J of an inch high, and stood upon an inverted segment of a sphere | of an
inch high. It was bought at the time by Mr. Feathcrstonhaugh.'
Charities."
1634. Maljel Ord, widow, ga\e the double gilt chalice and paten, also the communion table and
green cloth upon it, a pulpit cloth and cushion, and a mort cloth, all green; she also gave ^100 to the
poor.
1637. Jane Lawson, spinster, daughter of Sir Edw\ Lawson of Topclifife, Yorkshire (but then of
Hexham), desired her father, upon her deathbed, to give 40s. a year for ever to 40 poor widows in
Hexham, which has been continued ever since, and distributed yearly upon Good Friday.
1668. Dame Elizabeth Radclifife, widow of -Sir Edward Radcliffe of Dilston, bart., bequeathed £4 a
year to the poor Roinan Catholics in Hexham, to be distributed on St. Lucia's day.
1673. John Tyson, yeoman, left £10 to the poor of Hexham parish, the interest to be divided among
them at Christmas and Easter yearly for ever.
1675. James Crasswell of Hexham, tanner, bequeathed an acre of land on Hexham haugli,
commonly called Reah's acre, the yearly rent thereof, being 40s., to be distributed to the poor of the town
of Hexham on the 3rd October, being- his birthday.
1677. Robert Farbridge of Hackford bequeathed £10 to the poor of the High and Middle quarters
of Hexhamshire, the interest to be distributed yearly at Whitley chapel upon All Saints' day.
1680. Ursula Mountney, widow, bequeathed an annuity of ^3 to the poor of the parish of Hexham.
1681. Thomas Craig of Hexham, skinner and glover, bequeathed ;/!20, the interest to be distributed
yearly to poor widows and orphans resident within the town of Hexham, in the parish church of Hexham,
upon St. Thomas' day.
16S4. Robert Forsler of Upper Eshells bequeathed ,^io to the poor of Hexhamshire, the interest to
be distributed yearly at Easter.
1686. Thomas Gibson of Hexham, cordwainer, bequeathed ^20 to the poor, out of a close in
Hexham fields.
1690. Anthony Farbridge of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who was born at Hackford, bequeathed ^^14 to
the poor of the High and Middle quarters of Hexhamshire, the interest to be distributed yearly on Good
Friday at Whitley chapel.
J692. John Coulson, tanner, left ^20 to the poor of Hexham town.
1693. Margaret Broadley of Hexham, widow, left /'lo to be let out for the use of the poor, the
interest to be distributed yearly on the nth November.
1695. Robert Walton of Peacock house left ^3 towards finding a minister at Whitley chapel, and
failing a minister there, the interest to be distributed among the most needful people in the High quarter
of Hexhamshire.
1702. Henry Dixon of the Staples gave ;f20 to the poor of the High, Low, and Middle quartei's, the
interest to be distributed yearly at Christmas.
1707. Margaret Allgood, widow of Lancelot Allgood of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, attorney, left /[lOO to
the poor of Hexham township ; the interest to be distributed yearly upon Christmas day, after evening
service, by the principal inhabitants, with the advice of the minister.
1709. Mary .Allgood, spinster, daughter of Thomas Allgood, bailift' of Hexham, gave ^40 to the poor
of Hexham town.
1710. Nicholas Ridley of Newcastle-upon-Tyne bequeathed ^"20 to the poor of He.xham town, the
interest to be distributed yearly to the more aged and infirm eight days before Christmas.
' Proc. Ncwc. Soc. Ant. iv. p. 278.
- Ritschell, Tynedak Charities, republished in 1780; Further Report of the Charity Commissioners, 1830
For the remaining charities, see under the grammar school. George Ritschell's will has been printed
above, p. 171, note.
J,P GIBSON, PHOTO
SOUTH IRiVNSEPT- HEXHAM ABBEY CHURCH.
PHINTKOIN AUSTdlA.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH. 177
1712. Dorotliy Allj^'ood, spinster, eldest daughter of Thomas Allgood, baihff of Hexham, made over
her fortune to her brother James upon certain conditions, one of which was that the interest of ^40 should
be yearly distributed to the poor of the town of Hexham if she died before marriage.
Elizabeth Gibson, widow, bequeathed ^20 to the poor of Hexham town, the interest to be yearly
distributed.
1714. George Gibson, tanner, left ^30 to the poor of the township, to be distributed in portions of ^3
half yearly for five years after his death.
1715. Joseph Bell gave ^100 to the poor of the town, the interest to be distributed yearly on the
19th of March.
174S. Ann Johnson left an annual sum of ^2 15s. to be distributed among the poor of Hexham every
year.
1764. Robert Andrews gave 50s. yearly to the poor of the parish, and the Rev. Sloughter Clarke and
his wife since granted a rent charge of 50s. out of a close near the Maiden Cross.
1773. David Johnson, mercer, left half an acre of land in the town fields near Maiden Cross to the
poor of Hexham.
Thomas Howdon, tanner, bequeathed 20s., to be paid yearly out of the rent of a house in Fore Street,
to 20 poor widows.
John Forbes, merchant, bequeathed ^100 to the poor of Hexham, the interest to be distributed yearly
for ever. Round close (i acre i rood) was purchased with this money.
Lost charities : John Tyson, Thomas Craig, Thomas Gibson, Margaret Broadley, Margaret Allgood,
Nicholas Ridley, Elizabeth Gibson.
At the division of the common in 1755, i acre 3 roods 8 poles were set out to the churchwardens and
overseers of the poor in respect of land given by Creswell and Johnson.
The old almshouse was originally situated on Battle hill, but in 181 2 it was exchanged for the building
in Hencotes. There is accommodation for four persons, preference being always given to widows. It is
under the control of the governors of the grammar school. The new almshouses in the Alnmouth road
were built by the trustees of the will of the late Mr. Henry King of Hexham.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH.
The architectural history of Hexham priory begins with the church built
by order of St. Wilfrid. Our knowledge of this building is unfortunately
almost entirely literary. The three writers, to whom we are indebted for an
account of it, give so inuch space to the description that it is clear the
building made a great impression on the minds of these ecclesiastics.
Eddi, chaplain to Wilfrid, Symeon of Durham, and Richard, prior of
Hexham, must all have been familiar with it, and the account of the last is
so curiously technical that it deserves to be quoted at length. After giving
the reasons why Wilfrid dedicated his church to St. Andrew the Apostle, he
goes on to say : ' He laid crypts and underground oratories beneath the
foundations of his church, with branching passages, at a great depth and with
great labour. The church above was built with stones, squared and of
various sizes, supported by well-polished columns. It had three distinct
Vol. III. 23
178 HEXHAM ROROUGH.
storeys or levels, which were carried all to an immense height and length.
He also decorated the walls and the capitals of the columns by which they
were supported and the arch of the sanctuary with figure subjects and
statues and many carvings in relief upon the stone, as well as pictures and
paintings in great variety and wonderful beauty. The body of the church
he surrounded with aisles and porches on every side, which, with surprising
and inexplicable skill, communicated with each other by winding stairs in
stone towers. In these towers, and above them, he caused to be made flights
of stairs, galleries, and various winding ways, above and below, so ingeniously
contrived that an untold multitude of men might be there, surrounding the
whole body of the church, and yet not be seen by those on the floor below.
Both above and below were very many oratories, as private as they were
beautiful. In the porticos before mentioned, which he arranged with great
painstaking and care, altars were placed in honour of the Blessed Mother of
God, Mary ever Virgin, and St. Michael the Archangel, and St. John the
Baptist, and of the holy apostles, confessors, martyrs, and virgins, with their
furnishings richly provided. Some of these works have remained even to
this day, the most conspicuous of which are the towers and turrets for
defence. . . . The atrium also of the temple he surrounded bv a wall of
great thickness and strength, and, moreover, an aqueduct in a stone channel
ran through the midst of the town for the use of the offices. We pass over
his multifarious and most abundant buildings, which waste and devastation
have overthrown, many of the foundations of which may be observed on all
sides.' ^
Prior Richard's account of the church should not be regarded as a mere
eulogy, and when it is analysed it will be found to contain some valuable
information with regard to the plan and decorations of the building. It is
evident that it must have been of more than ordinary dimensions. Much
stress is laid on the fact that the walls were carried out to a ' great length
and height.' It had, therefore, a long nave, which had arcades with capitals
of an ornate character, though whether these were ancient capitals taken
from Roman buildings, or whether they were designed and made new by
Wilfrid's masons, it is not possible to say. There was a triforium and a
clerestory, and as the passages and galleries are said to have had ' many
turnings and branches,' transepts may be implied. Whether the words
' Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. iii.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH. 1 79
arcum sanctuarii refer to the arch opening into the apse or the vault of the
apse, it is difficult to decide. The latter is more probable, as it seems to
have been painted with figure subjects. The only towers mentioned are
called coclecc, which were small and round, containing newel stairs, situated
probably in the angles of the transept or flanking the choir. The porches
were chapels for minor altars projecting from the walls of the church, and
possibly from the transepts also. Some of these seem to have been of two
storeys, with one chapel above another, access to the upper chapels being
obtained by the newel stairs in the coclece. Carved decorative work seems
to have been abundant, and was not confined to the constructive features,
such as capitals, but overran the walls in the form of bas-reliefs. Some
portions of stones ornamented in this way have been found from time to time
on the site of the nave,' which is without doubt the position occupied by the
body of Wilfrid's church. Some of these are preserved in the cathedral
library at Durham, and others are in the north transept of the present
church. Among other ornamental fragments from the church are portions
of carved string courses. These are variously ornamented, the most remark-
able being those which have on them representations of lathe-turned baluster
shafts, singly or arranged in groups of three and four, placed alternately in a
vertical and horizontal position. String courses of this date, unless quite
plain, are rare, but they occur in situ at Monkwearmouth in Durham and at
Sompting in Sussex. The occurrence of the balusters amongst the carved
decorations is significant, as it seems to indicate that there was native
influence at work amongst the builders. Most of the decorations, however,
indicate the designs and handiwork of the Roman masons, whom Wilfrid is
said to have brought over with him from Rome, that his church might
resemble, as far as possible, those he had become familiar with there.
The crypt is the only portion of St. Wilfrid's church remaining. It is
a quite plain structure, and in it were no doubt deposited and exhibited the
relics which Wilfrid is said to have brought from Rome, and which formed
one of the great attractions of his church. Its plan is ingeniously arranged
to adapt it to such an exhibition. It comprises a chapel with an ante-
chapel across its west end, and two lateral and branching passages for
entrance and exit, each of which had 'an enlarged vestibule at the west end.
' In the almost contemporary church at Monkwearmouth some of these carved stones are still /;; sHu
on the front of the western porch.
I So HEXHAM KOROUGH.
The chapel is covered with a barrel vault formed of large stones. It has
two doorways, one opening into the chamber, at the west end of the south
passage, the other into the ante-chapel. In the chapel are three lamp niches,
which consist of small recesses in the walls. At the bottom of the recesses
are cup-shaped hollows for holding oil or tallow, and at the top are funnel-
shaped holes for condensing the smoke. On the east wall is a bracket,
which may be a later insertion. Above the bracket is the tang of an iron
crook, with the lead for fixing it into the stone, originally intended to hold
securely some object, such as a crucifix, which stood upon the bracket. The
floor is of earth. The ante-chapel also has a barrel vault and three doorways,
in its east, west, and north walls respectively, and a lamp niche in its south
wall. An opening in the roof (now filled up) once communicated with the
church above. The passages are covered with large stones laid flat, but the
vestibules are covered at a much greater height by two slabs sloping from
the walls to the centre, and forming a triangular arch, one of the character-
istics of the work of that time. All the stones used are of Roman workman-
ship. The walls are one stone thick. There are many carved stones from
cornices, pilasters, capitals, and other portions of Roman buildings, and a
large number have 'broached' tooling in various patterns. The crypt was
plastered throughout, and advantage was taken of the broaching and carving
on the stones to form a ' key ' for the plaster, the removal of a large part of
which has revealed the carving on the stones. There are two Roman
inscriptions, one on a slab at the east end of the north passage, the other on
a stone out of which the head of the doorway between the north passage and
its vestibule has been cut. In the last century an inscribed Roman altar,
now lost, was removed from the crypt.
Three separate entrances led from the church into the crypt. That on
the south side led directly into the chapel, and was intended to be used by
the priests. The west and north passages, with the ante-chapel, were for the
use of the worshippers, who could descend by one and ascend by the other,
and look into the chapel from the ante-chapel without entering it or inter-
fering with the ceremonial of the altar. Such an arrangement and usage
places the crypt at Hexham, like that at Ripon, in the same category as the
confessio which exists under some of the early churches in Rome and else-
where. It is therefore quite distinct both from the large undercrofts of the
later cathedrals, and from the smaller crypts which served as charnel houses
m
m
IV'
■ ■ ■
&■<•>« n,,
Scale of
=1 Feet.
yy q J- boirtt".
189s
THE ACCA CROSS
DESCRirnoN OF THE CHURCH. l8l
in many parish cliurches. NotIiin,<( remains of the furniture and accessories
of St. Wilfrid's church except the frith-stol. This was used as the seat of
sanctuary in later times, but was no doubt originally intended for the bishop's
seat, and was probably copied from some episcopal chair in Italy with which
Wilfrid was fannliar. It has been frequently moved, and is not now on the
spot it occupied during the davs of the priorv.
The remaining relics of the pr£e-Conquest period are portions of monu-
mental crosses which were originally placed in the cemetery of the church.
The most important of these is that which, there can be no doubt, once
stood at the head of the grave of Acca. The greater part of the shaft, with
the lower portion of the head, has been recovered, and is now erected in the
cathedral library at Durham. The shaft is 1 1 feet in length, and the w^hole
cross when complete was about 13 feet 9 inches high. It was therefore one
of the largest, as it is certainly the most beautiful, of this class of memorial
extant. Its art is evidently of Italian origin, though in the considerable
interlacing of some of the stems it shows more northern influence than
do similar designs in Italy. Three sides of the shaft and the head are
entirely covered with a design consisting of two vine plants with rolling and
meandering stems. As the cross stood originally, the side bearing the
inscription, which appears to have occupied the whole length of the shaft,
was towards the grave, and faced eastwards. The other broad face was
therefore towards the west, and upon this the artist has exerted his utmost
skill in design. Two vines spring from the angles at the foot of the cross.
The stems divide just above the root, and are carried up in parallel lines,
which continue to cross and recross as they rise, forming a series of nine
loops of pointed oval form. The loops and the triangular spaces between
them and the edges of the stone are closely filled with clusters of grapes,
leaves, and tendrils, arranged in the most delicate and graceful manner, and
with a wonderful variety of curves and twists, no two portions being alike.
There is a much larger number of grape bunches in proportion to the leaves
than is natural. This may be the result of a desire on the part of the
designer to emphasise the symbolic use of the vine. The north and south
sides are narrower than the other two. The north side has a somewhat
similar design to the west side, but the stems make an intermediate crossing
between the loops, so that there was a series of twelve large and eleven
small loops in the length of the shaft. On this side there is also a good deal
I 82 HEXHAM ROROUGH.
more of the interlacing pattern, and more prominence is given to tlie stem,
and less to the fruit, than on the broader side. The south side has a rolling
scroll, there being fourteen circular volutes in the height of the shaft. The
stem makes three revolutions in each volute, and throws off minor stems as
it winds, and these bear at their terminations the clusters of grapes and a
few leaves. The most remarkable, and not the least beautiful, of the
divisions is the second from the foot. This is composed entirely of stems,
without either fruit or leaves, and allows the interlacing band principle to
predominate over the motive of the design. The stem makes four revolu-
tions, and on reaching the centre is thrown back in the form of four long
loops, which are placed saltirewise, and interlace themselves through the
coils of the main stem. The inscription probably began with the word
ACCA, and contained some passages from the Nicene creed, of which the
words VNiGENiTo FiLio DEI Can still be read. The shaft has been broken
into at least four pieces. The portion still wanting is about 2^ feet of
the shaft, near the top. This is now filled up with wood, painted, so
that the proportions of the cross are maintained. The lowest piece is
the longest, and was used as the lintel of a cottage door at Dilston. It
had been reduced in thickness, and so much of the inscription as was upon
it is consequently lost. The portion above this, which is in better preser-
vation, was found in 1858 at the east end of the church. The upper
portion was found under the foundation of a house near the west end of
St. Mary's church about 1870.
A portion of what was once a large cross was found in 1854 on the site
of St. Mary's church. This bears a design based upon the vine, and though
similar, is much inferior to the Acca cross. It is now at Durham. The
other stones in the same collection, besides the string courses already
mentioned, are portions of carved wall slabs, with a very classical design
of vine branches bearing fruit, and with figures introduced, one of which is a
nude figure with a bow discharging an arrow ; the head of a cross with a
flower of eight leaves in the centre ; a piece of a string course with a scroll
pattern ; and a carved stone with chequer work and scrolls of uncertain
derivation and use.
Amongst the stones remaining in the church at Hexham is a portion of
a wall slab, similar to two pieces in the library at Durham. It has a vine
pattern upon it, and has had human figures and birds among the stems.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH. 1 83
There is in private possession in Hexham a small portion of the base of
a cross, with carving on two adjoining sides and the top. At the Spital is
preserved the middle portion of the shaft of a cross, carved on all sides.
One bears the crncifixion, with the attendant figures. The other three
have vine patterns, which are evidently bad copies of the Acca cross,
as the same arrangement is adopted, though the design and execution are
much inferior.
St. Wilfrid's church remained without change or injury for nearly two
centuries. In 875 it was burnt by the Danes, and though it was subsequently
repaired and used as a parish church, it was never thoroughly restored.
When the Austin canons came to Hexham it seems clear that they made use
of the old church and the surrounding buildings until sufficient funds had
accumulated to provide new buildings on a scale commensurate with the
rank of the new foundation. Before this took place the Norman period in
architecture had come and gone. The architectural history of Hexham
priory is therefore peculiar in the fact that, though it was founded under a
Norman prelate who was a great encourager of building, and during the
Norman period in architecture, yet it never possessed a Norman church or
any buildings in that style.' When the work of rebuilding was begun, it was
doubtless intended to erect an entirely new priory in the style of the
period, to replace Wilfrid's structure, which was still in use. But what
actually took place was merely an eastward extension from the nave of
Wilfrid's church, which, from the solidity of its construction, being built of
large Roman ashlar stones, no doubt remained in a substantial condition.
The priory at Hexham presented, therefore, the unique feature of a prte-
Conquest nave existing side by side with a Gothic choir, transepts, and
central tower. Its appearance must consequently have been very striking,
and though such a combination of early and late work, in totally different
styles, was frequent enough in the case of parish churches, as, for example,
in the neighbouring and dependent church at Ovingham, yet it was extremely
rare in churches of the magnitude of that at Hexham.
Any influence which the plan of Wilfrid's church may have exercised
on the arrangement of the new building need not be discussed here. It
seems certain that the crypt was under either the choir or the crossing of
' The few fragments of worked stones of Norman style found durin;^ the last few years have come
from St. Mary's church.
184 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Wilfrid's church ; and, as one of the objects in building an extended choir
was to gain more space for the shrines around the high altar, the foundations
of the new choir were laid at some distance to the east of the old one, and
beyond its lateral walls, so that as much work as possible could be executed
before the old building was removed/ Hence the aisle walls contain the
work of the earliest date, as these could easily be carried up before the
foundations for the arcade piers were laid in. The difference in the details
of the various portions of the choir, the way in which they unfold the
gradual growth of the building, and the exact order in which the work was
done are very instructive, and form a most interesting study, particularly as
the work was in progress at the time when the 'transition' from Norman to
Gothic was passing into the fully developed ' lancet ' style of the earlier
years of the thirteenth centur>\
The plan of the choir consists of a central alley, divided into six bays,
with north and south aisles. The elevation of the side walls exhibits the
usual division of a main arcade, triforium, and clerestory, all fully developed.
The work is throughout well designed and rich in its details and mouldings.
A comparison with some other similar buildings, of which the date is known,
shows that the choir was begun about 11 80 and completed about 1220.
There are a great many minor differences between corresponding parts, and
many interesting peculiarities and inconsistencies, some of which call for
special notice. The wall of the north aisle is a foot thicker than that of the
south. In the main arcades, which have a fine series of rich mouldings,
there are some differences between the north and the south arcades which
show that the latter was built first. The most important of these is the
dentelle ornament to the hood moulding of the arches. This is a lingering
trace of Norman influence, and is a common form in many churches in the
county of Durham built towards the end of the twelfth century. The
triforium and clerestory are of the early part of the thirteenth century, and
the only trace of the earlier styles to be seen is in the pear-shaped section of
some of the mouldings, notably in the vaulting shafts, which spring from
corbels below the triforium string course and rise almost to the wall heads.
The clerestory is, both from its position and its design, the crowning feature
of the choir. It is of full size, and in individual height exceeds those of
many much larger churches, such as Southwell or Lichfield. The triple
' The axes of the choir and the crypt are nearly coincident the difference being only i 5 inches.
L-
WG faBBqV OP 8. p)DReEU
eRouDD pufin OP sne cmuRcm eno conpseR-noose.
Q'
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH. 1 85
internal arcade masks a wall gallery, and has a curious arrangement of a
double tier of shafts, each with bases and capitals. There is a parallel
example in the clerestory of the transepts at Romsey, though not so well
carried out as it is at Hexham.
The choir is planned on a smaller scale than most of the monastic
churches of Yorkshire, but is not exceeded by any church in the other
northern counties not of the rank of a cathedral. The design is a bold one,
and the details are both abundant and rich, and as a whole it is strikingly
similar to the nave at Jedburgh. Indeed, Hexham bears a much closer
resemblance to the churches on the Scotch side of the Border than it does
to any on the English side. The design of the transepts is almost exactly
repeated, but on a much smaller scale, at Pluscardyn, near Elgin. The
most noticeable features in the composition of the choir are the pear-shaped
forms of the clustered columns, the complicated mouldings of all the arches,
the bold sweep of the semicircular containing-arches of the triforium arcade,
and the double tier of shafts to all three arches in the clerestory arcade.
Before the dissolution, two additions were made to the choir, which
altered its plan and extended its area. The most important of these was the
erection of a transverse aisle across the lower part of the east wall, which
opened to the choir by five arches, one at the end of either aisle and three
in the central portion. It was lighted by seven large traceried windows of
good design. Those at either end were of five lights, the central one in the
east front was of four lights, while the remaining four in the east front were
of three lights each. There were doorways at either end, while internally
two steps ran the whole length near the east wall, to form a raised platform,
on which five altars seem to have been placed, one beneath each of the
eastern windows. The roof was an open timbered one of low pitch. The
date of this addition seems to be fixed by a deed of Archbishop Zouche,
dated at Cawood, 28th May, 1350, which gives the prior and convent power
to enclose a strip of the Market Place, 5 feet wide, and in length from the
chapel of St. Mary on the south to the abbey gate on the north, so that they
could make their processions round the church.^ The necessity for this
enclosure arose from the extension of the church towards the east by the
building of the new aisle. The use of this extension was evidently to
provide more space for minor altars and for chantries. The two doorways
' Hexham Priory, i. app. No. Iviii.
Vol. III. 24
l86 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
were placed to the west of the centre of the aisle and opposite to one
another, so that the passage between them should be clear of the altar steps.
This building was a parallel, but on a much smaller scale, to the great
eastern transepts at Durham and Fountains, called the Nine Altars.^ The
other alteration was the building of a chapel parallel to the south aisle, and
in connection with it, which was entered by a doorway that still remains,
though now blocked up. This was, in all probability, the chapel of the
Umfraville family, as their monuments had been moved out of the chapel
and placed in the aisle adjoining when the earliest account of the priory was
written. The date of the destruction of this chapel is unknown. Its length
was equal to two bays of the aisle wall and it had a lean-to roof. A piscina
of fourteenth-century date adjoins the doorway which led into it. A four-
teenth-century window had been inserted in the east bay of the south aisle,
but it was destroyed in 1858.
When the extended choir was added to the old church its eastern end
was taken down, and the building of the new transepts was immediately
begun. The central tower was built directly afterwards, and the work was
probably completed about 1250, having been carried on during the space
of from thirty to thirty-five years.
The transepts at Hexham are designed in a very imposing manner, and
are excessively long in proportion to the scale of the building, longer, in fact,
considering the total length of the church, than in any other church in
England. Whether this peculiarity arose from any special desire on the part
of the builders, the taste of their architect," or some local circumstances it is
difficult to say ; but it is certain that this feature gives He.xham abbey its
chief charm. The view of the interior, whether looking north or south, is
certainly unrivalled among English churches.
The two eastern piers of the tower are carried up along with the choir,
and the various sections of the work all joined together at the tower as a
centre. The whole order of building was arranged so as to postpone the
removal of the old church until the last moment. For this reason the
transept was begun at the south end, after the calefactory and the rest of
' In the timbering of the north triforium of the choir, which is of modem date, is an old beam, on
which is inscribed in black letter characters, ' Orate pro anima Georgii Er>'ngtoun.' It is not unlikely
that this came from the roof of the eastern aisle, to which the Erringtons may have been benefactors.
" Unusually long transepts for the size of the churches occur at Corbridge, Ovingham, and Rothbur)-,
all erected about the same time as the Hexham transepts.
DESCRimON OF THE CHURCH. 1 87
the eastern range had been built, and the work was then continued towards the
north, the east side having been built first, the closing section being the west
wall, from the north side of the slype to the south-western tower pier. The
north transept was carried on in like manner. The east side was first built,
then the north and west walls in their lower portion, the west wall being
carried on from north to south till the tower pier was joined. The clerestory
was then commenced, beginning on the east side and finishing at the tower
on the west. A change was made in the composition of the north end while
the work was in progress. It was originally intended to have three tiers of
lancets, as in the east walls of Whitby, Bridlington, Brinkburn, and other
conventual churches. The effect of the alteration was to raise the level of
the upper gallery to that of the clerestory, instead of to the level of the
capitals of the triforium arcade, and to carry the upper tier of lancets right
into the gable. The alteration also included the removal of the newel stair
from the north-eastern to the north-western angle of the transept. The
proofs of this and other changes in the structure are ample and conclusive,
but are too technical to be given in detail.
The design of the transept, taken as a whole, is a very fine one, and the
result is eminently satisfactory. The two wings exhibit so many varieties
and contrasts in the parts which are complements of one another, that
monotony is avoided, and the plain and somewhat severe work of the south
wing is in pleasing contrast to the rich and almost exuberant detail of the
northern one.
The most striking feature of the south transept is produced by the
intrusion of the slype,' which served, among other uses, as a passage of com-
munication between the cloister and the cemetery, lying to the south of the
choir and east of the chapter house. This arrangement robs the south
transept of its southern bay at the floor level, but as the slype is low and
vaulted it is treated as a gallery within the church, and the triforium and
clerestory are carried over it, so that in their upper parts the transepts are
of equal length. Access to the gallery is obtained by a bold and imposing
flight of stone stairs placed against the west wall, with a stepped balustrade
on their east side. These served as the night stairs to give admission, through
' The only other example of this anang^enient is in the priory church of St. Frideswide, Oxford, now
the cathedral, also an Austin canons' church, where the clerestory and triforium of the south transept are
carried over the slype.
I 88 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
a doorway on the south side of the transept, now built up, to the church from
the level of the dormitory.
The chapter house has almost entirely disappeared, but its dimensions
are known from foundations and from the remains of its vault on those
portions of its walls left as buttresses to the south-east angle of the transept.
It had an enriched western doorway, with much carving. This was blown
out in a thunderstorm early in this century. The vestibule was vaulted in
nine compartments, and had four columns. The dormitory extended over it
and over the calefactory. These buildings were erected either with the
earliest section of the south transept or before the beginning of the thirteenth
centurv.
The tower is a low one, rising only one stage above the weather
mouldings of the original thirteenth-century roofs. This stage is ornamented
with an arcade of five members, two of them being pierced for belfry
windows, and subdivided by mullions into two pointed lights. The other
three arches are blank. The arches and jambs are well moulded. All four
sides are alike, except in some minor details. Broad buttresses enclose the
angles and die into the walls beneath a corbel table, which is carried all
round. Above is an embattled parapet of later date than the tower, and
probably contemporary with the parapets and roofs of the rest of the church,
which seem to have been added in the closing years of the fourteenth
century. At the angles are the stumps of pinnacles, which appear never to
have been finished. The roof is pyramidal, and in the main, ancient, but
reduced in height by the shortening of the old timbers.
The middle of the thirteenth century found the canons in possession of
a complete church, the whole of which, with the exception of the nave, was
in the style of that time, and of ample dimensions. It had been nearly three-
quarters of a century in building, and, like many other churches, it shows
indications of the necessity for economy at one time and the opportunity of
more lavish expenditure at another. The richest work is the earliest and the
latest, the intervening portion, the south wing of the transept, being destitute
of either carving or ornament.
When a religious house required to be rebuilt on an extended scale, it
was not an unusual proceeding to erect first the eastern portion of the church,
then to complete the buildings around the other three sides of the cloister
court, and, last of all, to build or rebuild the nave of the church, finishing off
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH.
189
at the west front. In the greater number of the more important monastic
houses the erection of the nave could be delayed without great inconvenience
to the convent, and
in some instances its
building or rebuild-
ing on a larger scale,
as the case might be,
was so long post-
poned that the Dis-
solution came before
it was finished, or even begun.
This seems to have occurred at
Hexham. But before dealing
further with the nave it will
be necessary to mention such
of the domestic buildings as
were erected between the
completion of the tower and
the destructive raid of the
Scots in 1296. This period
of about half a century was the most prosperous that the house of Hexham
experienced, and during that time much building work was carried out.
The three eastern arms of the church, with the tower, the chapter house, and
the vaulted vestibule between it and the cloister, the calefactory to the
south, and the dormitory extending over the vestibule to the chapter house
and the calefactory, were finished, the new buildings thus forming a complete
range in continuation of the south arm of the transept. But the new nave,
the frater, the cellarage, the kitchen, the prior's house, and the base court
beyond it, had still to be built. The buildings on the south and west sides
of the cloister were certainly erected in the interval above mentioned. The
few remains that are left show that they were of the most sumptuous kind,
and had they not suffered almost immediate damage or destruction, would
have ranked high amongst the very best examples of mediaeval architecture.
The frater occupied the whole of the south side of the cloister, and was a
long and lofty hall, lighted with large traceried windows. It seems to have
had an open timbered roof, the beams of which rested on carved corbels.
Prior Leschman's Window.
(^From a Drawing hy Grimni in the British Museum.)
igO HEXHAM BOROUGH.
It was entered at its south-west angle by a richly moulded doorway with
carved capitals, under an equally rich wall arcade. This doorway was
gained by a flight of steps from the cloister level, the hall being raised on a
vaulted undercroft in two alleys with a central range of clustered columns,
some of which were standing as late as 1818. At the east end of the under-
croft was a passage, as at Durham, Carlisle, Kirkham, and other monastic
houses. Adjoining the doorway of the frater on the west wall of the cloister
was the lavatory, of which the arcade or wall decoration remains in a fairly
complete condition. It is a bright jewel amongst architectural gems, and is
valuable as indicating how exquisite the contemporary work must have
been.^ The whole of the undercroft of the western range is of the same
period as the frater. It is divided into four sections of varying size, and is
covered with barrel vaults with bold chamfered ribs. The doorways are
shoulder-headed, except that which enters the central passage from the
prior's court. The wall between the undercroft and the cloister is of great
thickness, and was probably designed to prevent the sound of work going on
there from disturbing the quiet of the cloister enclosure. How much of the
upper story of the western range was built at this period is doubtful, for it
was entirely transformed in the fifteenth century in the time of Prior Lesch-
man. The south-west angle of the nave was, to a certain height, rebuilt at
this time, along with the western range. A few yards of the base moulding
along the west front are of this period. The modern archway, which pro-
vides a road through the north-west angle of the cloister, had no existence
in ancient times, the cloister being entirely shut in by buildings on all
sides.
The loss and destruction occasioned by the raids of the Scots between
1296 and 1 3 14 were so great that all building operations ceased for a long
period. The rebuilding of the nave, which was to have been in its turn
undertaken, was, in consequence, indefinitely postponed. It is clear that the
nave of St. Wilfrid's church had not been replaced up to the time of the first
raid. It must therefore have been in use until that time, for the chronicle
of Lanercost, in giving an account of this raid, describes it, and says that it
remained standing." The whole church was burnt and pillaged and the
shrines and relics destroved. It was no doubt intended that the nave
should be rebuilt, but it does not seem to have been repaired after the raid,
' See illustration, p. 144. ^ Lanercost Citron., p. 176.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH. I9I
and when a period of quietude succeeded the battle of Neville's Cross, in
1346, the next work undertaken was the erection of the transverse aisle
across the east front, a much less important work than the rebuilding of the
nave. The general repair of the church, which was carried out during the
fourteenth century, does not appear to have extended to the nave, which
continued in its ruined condition from 1296 until the rebuilding in the
fifteenth century was begun ; hence the tradition which has come down to
our time, that the Scots destroyed the nave, is in the main true, if the nave
of St. Wilfrid's church was meant.
There is nothing to show that the rebuilding of the nave was actually
undertaken until the beginning of the fifteenth century. The slight remains
of it are in the style of that period, and consist of the lower portion of the
south and west walls, a short length of the north wall, rising scarcely above
the foundations, and the cores of the bases of some of the piers. The
details are scantv, but are sufficient to indicate that the work was to be
plain and substantial. The base of the half column against the west wall
remains. The western doorway has been shorn of its arch and jamb mould-
ings, but is standing to its full height, and above it there still remains the
floor of the gallery across the west front. A plan by Carter shows that at
the end of last century portions of the jambs of the south windows were still
standing, and that the gallery was continued along the south wall. There
was a newel stair provided in the north-west angle of the nave, where an
enormous buttress projected to receive the thrust of the arcade. The stair
was entered bv a passage in the west wall of the aisle, and this was in its
turn entered from the north-west angle of the aisle. The whole of the stone
used in the walls of the nave is of Roman origin, while all that used in the
choir and transepts is newly quarried stone of much inferior quality, taken
from the south side of the Tyne. This seems to show that the nave was, at
all events, begun with the material from St. Wilfrid's church, which was
therefore used in it for the third time. It is almost needless to point out
that this source of supply was not available when the choir and transepts
were added to the earlier church.'
'.A clause in the will of Roger Thornton, of Newcastle, who died in 1429, has an indirect allusion to
the nave. He says, ' It'm, I wylle yat CCCC marc' whilk yat ye priour and couent Hexham awe me bee
dispendet upon bygging of yeir kyrk, if ye wol make greable seurtez yat it shal soo be deuly doon.' The
words 'yeir kyrk' can only refer to the nave, the word church being used in its restricted sense as
alluding to the church of the people, in contradistinction to the monastic portion, which would have been
termed ' quire.' This seems to indicate that the work was in progress, but delayed from want of funds.
192 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Unlike many churches, Hexham abbey underwent but little alteration
during the later periods of mediaeval architecture. It did not, however,
escape the prevailing fashion of the fifteenth century, the insertion of a large
'Perpendicular' window in its eastern end. This was of five lights, and
occupied the whole of the east end of the choir above the arches which
opened into the eastern transverse aisle. It is shown in two old views, one
by King, in the first edition of Dugdale's Monasttcon, and the other by
Buck, dated July, 1728. It seems to have been taken out about 1730 and
replaced by a window of similar size, but of bastard Gothic character. This
was again replaced by a similar window about 1830. This in its turn
perished at the hands of its own designer, along with the eastern aisle and
many other interesting features, in 1838. The present east end, which is a
poor copy of that of Whitby abbey, was finished in 1862.
The aisles are all vaulted, but the main roofs are of open timber
construction of low pitch but good design, with curved braces and carved
bosses at the intersections. Those in the choir and south transept are
original. Those in the north transept were added to the ancient timbers in
1877.
The monuments are varied and of considerable interest. Besides the
pras-Conquest memorial crosses already mentioned, there is an early hog-
backed grave cover, and a small coped grave cover, and one or two
fragments of similar covers, all of Norman date.
The only altar tomb in situ is built up between the north aisle of the
choir and that of the north transept. It has a richly moulded segmental
arch and ridged capping, some carved corbel heads, and a good canopied
niche. The slab of the tomb is richly ornamented with an incised cross
formed of a vine plant with fruit and leaves. There is nothing to show
whom this monument commemorates, but tradition says it is that of
Elfwald, a Saxon king who was murdered in 788.^ The date of the
monument is about 1295. There are five sculptured effigies; two are of
females, which were found in digging in the churchyard, one in the last
century, the other a few years ago. They are both much worn and without
any features to lead to their identification. In the north transept are two
effigies of knights. The earlier of these is clad in chain mail, over which is
a sleeveless surcoat. The sword is suspended by a strap to the belt. The
' See illustration, p. 115.
DESCRIPTION OF THK CHURCH. 193
shield is on the left arm, and has carved upon it three garbs on a fess. This
armorial bearing was worn by the Tindals, lords of Dilston. The efhgy is pro-
bably that of Thomas de Devilstone (Dilston), who died in 1297. The other
effigy is that of Gilbert de Umfraville, who died in 1307, and is similar in its
character and armour to the earlier one. The Umfraville arms, a cinquefoil
between eight crosses patonce^ are well cut in relief on the shield. There are
traces of the fastenings of an iron hearse over the figure.' The remaining
effigy is that of Prior Leschman, who died in 1491. His chapel, and that of
the Ogle family, were formerly the chief monuments in the choir, and stood
between the columns, one on either side. Leschman's chapeP had a low stone
screen wall, with open wooden lattices above, and a flat ceiling with carved
bosses. It retained its ancient reredos and stone altar. The effigy lay on
an altar tomb outside the chapel on the south. It was mutilated when the
church was restored in 1858-60. The tomb is a low altar-tomb, with plain
sides and moulded cornice and plinth. On the south side, as it originally
lay, and at the east end, is a shield bearing the rebus of Prior Leschman,
his initials in black letter characters, X and I, placed in saltire, and thus
representing the arms of the priory, which were azure, a saltire argent.
The effigy represents the prior habited in the dress of the Austin order, with
the hood of the cloak drawn over the eyes and hiding the upper portion of
the face.^ The hands are clasped on the breast. The execution is rude, and
evidently by a local man. Beneath the altar slab in the monumental chapel
is a recess for the vessels, which has carving in panels at its sides. One of
these is a piece of blundered interlaced work. Similar interlaced patterns
are among the decorations of the screen wall of the chapel, and are a curious
example of imitative work of the earlier periods executed near the end of the
fifteenth century. The Ogle chapel was also swept away in 1858-60, but the
slab, with a portion of the brass, and parts of the wooden lattices are in the
church. The slab lies on the site of the chapel, and the woodwork is in
the vestry.''
' See illustration, p. 142. ° See illustration, p. 147.
' Representations of Austin canons in sculpture are very rare. There is a good example in the case
of the end of the Brus cenotaph at Guisborough, where the prior is shown holding a shield with the
canons kneeling around him. The prior wears the hood of his cloak on his head, but the canons are
bareheaded, with the hoods hanging down their backs.
* The inscription on the slab runs: 'Hie jacet Robertus Ogle, filius Elene Bertram, filie Robert!
Bertram militis, qui oblit in vigilia omnium sanctorum, anno domini mcccx., cujus anime propicietur
Deus. Amen.' The will of Robert Ogle, dated 7th Feb., 141 1, is printed in Durham Wills, Surt. Soc.
ii. p. 47.
Vol. III. 25
194 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
The church is unusually rich in ancient furniture and panel paintings.
The original rood screen and loft remain in situ, though much altered
on their eastern side. This was the work of Prior Smithson, as stated on
the patera; of the cornice on the west side. The stalls were a fine series,
thirty-eight in number, and they remained undisturbed, though mutilated in
their canopies, until 1858, when they were removed. A series of canopied
paintings of seven of the bishops of Hexham was formerly on the north side
of the altar. They date between 1463-74, as they bear the arms of arch-
bishop George Neville. The sedilia of four stalls are of carved oak, and stood
on the south side of the altar before the period of destruction. They are still
preserved in the vestry, though in a mutilated condition. There are also
some fragments of parclose screens left, but none is in situ. The last was
moved in i86g. A great quantity of carved woodwork was taken out of the
church in 1858. Seventy-two of the carved standards of the stall canopies
lay in a joiner's yard till a few years ago, and the beautiful panel paintings
which formed the reredos of the altar of the Ogle chapel (1410) were treated
as lumber, and are now in private possession.
The principal entrance to the precinct was by the gateway in Market
Street, until recent times the most important street in the town. This gate-
way is complete in its lower portion, except the vaulting and the central
wall, which had two arches in it, the main entrance and the wicket. This
wall and the vault were removed about 1820. The two outer arches are
well moulded semicircular arches of fine proportions. The angles are
buttressed, and the doorway to the porter's lodge remains on the west side,
now built up.
There are still some considerable remains of the precinct wall. It is
well built, of large ashlar, and is 4 feet in thickness. Much of it has been
removed in recent years. There was a western gateway through the wall,
and possibly another to the south. No traces of these are now to be seen.
The Bells.
Like most old English churches of any importance, Hexham priory
seems to have possessed a ring of bells from an early period. The earliest
ring known appears to have been cast about the beginning of the fifteenth
century, as three of the bells were dated 1404, though Wright supposes that
MEDIAEVAL PAINTINGS ON THE ROOD SCREEN.
(From ifrawings hy Carter^ in the British Mnst-iim.)
V
t
The Annunciation.
1
The Visitation.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH. 1 95
the others were made even earlier. This ring consisted of six bells, each
bearing a legend. The inscriptions have been printed by Wright,' and,
unfortunately, the inaccuracies they contain cannot now be corrected. They
are given as follows :
1. AI) PUIMOS CANTUS PUI.SAT NOS
REX GLORIOSUS
2. ET CANTARE TRA-I FACIET.
NOS VOX "
3. EST NOBIS DIGNA
KATERINE VOX BENIGNA''
4. OMNIBUS IN ANNIS
EST VOX DEO ORATA JOHANNIS. A.D. MCCCCUII.'
5. ANDREA MI CARE
JOHANNI CONSOCIARE. A.D. MCCCCUII
6. EST MEA VOX ORATA
DUM SIM MARIA VOCATA. A.D. MCCCCUII.
The last of these bells, dedicated to St. Mary, was generally known as
'the fray bell,' as it was rung to warn the inhabitants of the approach of an
enemv. It weighed 70 cwt., and might be heard at a great distance.' The
bell ne.xt in size, and dedicated to St. Andrew, was known as the soul or
haly bell, it being used for tolling at funerals, and as the passing bell.'' In
1 742 these si.x bells were taken down and recast as eight, a twelve-fold cess
having been taken for the purpose in 1737. The work was carried out by
Thomas Lester of London. Si.x of the bells have subsequently been recast
at various times. The present inscriptions are :
Treble. 1742. T. LESTER.
2. THOMAS HEARS OF LONDON FOUNDER
3. THOMAS LESTER. 1 742. ALFREDUS S. L.AWSON REFECIT. A.D. 1 884.
4. No inscription. The date 1742 is roughly chiselled on its upper part.
5. THOMAS LESTER OF LONDON MADE US ALL & TOBIAS BENTON HANGED US ALL. ALFREDUS
S. LAWSON ME ET TERTIUM EX MEIS SOCIIS REFECIT. A.D. 1 884.
6. REV. W. FLEMING M.A. MINISTER. REV ROB'^ CLARKE LECTURER. RALPH LONSTAFF, MATT.
LEE, EDW. SWINBURN, MATT. COULSON, CHURCHWARDENS. THOS. MEARS OF LONDON
FECIT
7. 1742. THOMAS LESTER MADE ME.
ALFREDUS S. LAWSON ME REFECIT. 1 884.
Tenor. WALTER BLACKETT ESQ. LORD. REV. WM. GRAHAM MINISTER. WM. VAZIE, JOHN
JOHNSON, THOS. LEE, & ROBERT ROBSON, CHURCHWARDENS. 1742. THOMAS LESTER OF
LONDON MADE US ALL.'
' Hist. 0/ Hexham, pp. 101-2. - The blank must have been filled with the name of some saint.
" (?) 'Est nobis digna Katerina voce benigna.' ^ (?) Resonata for 'deo orata.'
' Mackenzie and Dent, Northumberland, ii. p. 335.
' Wright, Hexham, p. 100. ' Archaeologia Acliana, n.s. xii. pp. 303-4.
ig6 HEXHAM ROROUGH.
In 1695 there was a dispute between George Ritschell, jun., the curate,
and his paiishioners with regard to the proper use of the bells and the fees
that were to be paid for the privilege of using them. The question was
ultimately brought before the borough jury for decision. The terms of the
dispute and the award of the jury are both interesting.
Whereas in former times when any person dyed in y' town or parish of Hexham in the county of
Northumberland, only one bell called y'' soul or hally bell did tole or ring out to give notice y' such an
one was dead: and if the friends of the deceased desired to have the bells rung they paid a fee of 16''
to y'' church to help to repair the bells ; as also a certaine fee to the minister, clerke & sexton viz to each
of them one shilling.
And whereas of late years diverse have endeavoured to break y' anticnt custome ringing all y'' bells
& do insist upon it as matter of right & priviledge upon such occasions as y'- death of any friend to ring
all y'' bells at pleasure without paying any fee at all for y'' same.
You are therefore to enquire for & on behalfe of the lord of this manner whether y" bells of y'' parish
church of Hexham in ye county of Northumberland did ring in former times or y'' same ought now to be
rung at y'' death of any person whatsoever, without paying the antient accustomed fees to y° minister,
clerke & sexton viz' to each of them one shilling. And present as you find upon your oathes.
We fiend that the bells of the parish church of Hexham aforesaid in former times were rung and now
may be rung at or upon the death of any person or persons whatsoever without the leive or consent of
the curate or minister there and without paying all or any of the said pretended ffees, nor did wee ever
knowe or heare of any such pretended ffees paid or demanded, and doe present and fiend that theres no
such fees due to the minister or curatt, clerk or sexton there or any of them. And wee doe order that
neither the minister, curate, clar-ke nor se.xton there or any of them do presume to take or exact any such
undue fees as aforesaid upon paine of xiij' iiij'' for or against any of them offending therein.'
During the progress of the war of the Spanish Succession the following
payments to the bell ringers occur :
For Prince Eugene's victory at Luzara ...
For the taking of Kaiserworth, half a day
For the taking of Liege
For the destroying of the fleet at Vigo ...
5 Oct., 1702
Thanksgiving, 3 Dec, 1702
The Queen's birthday, a dozen of ale ...
For the taking of Gibraltar
For the victory at Blenheim ...
And so on. Of course the victories in the Peninsular War and the
battle of Waterloo were celebrated in a similar manner,^ and those who have
read De Quincey's 'English Mail Coach' will remember that the same thing
was taking place all over the country.
In 1 701 there is an entry of 9s. lod. for mending 'the hally bell' and
12s. 6d. for mending the fray bell.
' Hexham Manur Rolls, Borough Book, 1695. ' Churchiaardcns' Books.
6s.
9d.
6s.
9d.
6s.
9d.
13s.
od.
13s.
od.
13s.
od.
4S.
od.
13s-
od.
13s.
od.
nKSCRIPTION OF THE CHtTRCH. I97
On September 20tli, 1725, the old frav bell was broken during the
exuberant rejoicings occasioned by the marriage of Sir William Hlackett
with Lady Barbara Villiers, daughter of William, earl of Jersey.'
When the working day was longer, it was customary to ring a bell at
half-past five o'clock in the morning and at six o'clock in the evening as a
signal to begin and to leave off work. Shorter hours have brought about
the abandonment of this custom."
Inscriptions.
West wall, north trnnsept : Deposited in the family vault are the remains of the Rev. Thomas Andrewes,
M.A., Lecturer of Hexham, who died July i6th, 1757, aged 80 years.
Robert Andrewes, esq., died Dec. 28th, 1764, aged 82.
Ann Newton, daughter of the above Robert Andrewes, esq., Died July 12th, 1767, aged 32.
Ann Andrewes, wife of Robert Andrewes, esq., and daughter of Sir Thomas Rawlinson, knight.
Alderman of London, died July 31st, 1769, aged 75 years.
Sacred to the memory of Honor, daughter of the above Robert Andrewes, esq., and wife of the Rev.
Sloughter Clarke, A.Ii., 25 years lecturer of Hexham, which preferment he resigned 1801. She died
March 9th, 1805, aged 72 years. Was pious, just, and generous, prudent, candid, and benevolent.
The Rev. Sloughter Clarke, A.B., died 22nd April, 1820, aged 79 years. The righteous shall be had
in everlasting remembrance.
The Rev. Robert Clarke, M.A., lecturer of Hexham for 23 years, during which period he performed
the duties of that office with conscientious attention. Kind and affable to all, his hand was ever open
to relieve the want and necessities of the poor. He lived beloved, and died on the 20th of April,
1825, in the 53rd year of his age, universally lamented.
South transept, floor : Sepulchrum Johannis Anesley generosi. Here lyeth the body of John Aynsley,
esq., who died Sept. 12th, 1751, aged 92.
Choir, floor : John Carr, gentleman, dyed the 29th day of October, 1715, aged 60 years.
Thomas Carr, gentleman, only son of the said John Carr, dyed the 7th day of March, 1731, aged 42
years.
Here lyeth the body of John Carr, son of Mr. Thomas Carr, who departed this life, the 5th day of
May, 1738, in the 27th year of his age.
Here lyeth the body of Mr. James Carr, son of Mr. Thomas Carr,'who departed this life, July the 5th,
1717, in the 29th year of his age.
Here lyeth allso the body of Mrs. Ann Carr, widow of Mr. Thomas Carr, daughter of Thomas
Burrell, esq., of Broome park, who died May 30, a.d. 1750, aged 68 years.
Choir, south wall : Mark William Carr, major in the Madras staff corps, son of William and grandson of
Mark William Carr of the family of Carr, anciently of Hetton and Eshot, lost at sea off Goa, in the S.S.
"Outram," January 15th, 1871, in the 17th year of his age.
North transept, floor : M.S. Patris heu ! nunquam visi ; matris piae optime meritae grati animi et pietatis
indicium, B. Dixon fil. posuit. a.d. 1749.
Hie inhumatur Lydia Downes, vid., obiit 3 die Oct. A° Dni 1717, Etat suae 47.
Underneath this stone lies interred the body of Shafto Downes, gentleman, who deqate'' {sic) this life
Aqirl {sic) 6, 1777, aged 79 years.
Choir, south laall : To the memory of Margaret Featherstonhalgh, relict of W. Featherstonhalgh, esq.,
late of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Ob. 19th May, 1800, a^t 78.
South transept, east wall: Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Joseph Fell, who died July 24th, 1795, aged
40 years. Also Mary, wife of the above, who died Jan. 13th, 1837, aged 85 years. Also Sarah, eldest
' Sykes, Local Records, i. p. 141. ^ Arch. Ael. n.s. xii. p. 305.
198 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
daughter of the above, who died Nov. i8th, 1861, aged 73 years. Also Elizabeth, second daughter of
the above, who died June 14th, 1870, aged 80 years.
South transept, floor ■■ Thomas Fenwick, died 22nd of February, A.D. 1633.
Here lieth the body of John Fenwick, who died May 6, 1682. I.F. 1693. W.F.
North transept, floor : The family burial place of Henry Fenwick and Katherine, his wife. George, their
son, died March 20, 1768, aged 19. His wife Katherine died April II, 1783, aged 65. Katherine,
their daughter, died August 19, 1793, aged 55. The above-named Henry Fenwick died June i, 1796,
aged Si. Mary, their daughter, widow of John Pratt, died November 29, 1829, aged 67.
North transept, east vail : Edvardus Fenwick, primo hujus oppidi, deinde Novicastri super Tynam incola,
ephippiorum artifex, decessit die vi" kal. sextilis anno sacro m.d. CCCXXXIX., aetatis LXXXll.
A Fenwick perilhistri de Fenwick turri et Wallington in hoc comitatu ortus, cenus ab majoribus duxit
ad quos pertinuerunt nomina ilia clarissima Plantaganet et Percy el Neville principibus magnis et
regibus sanguine conjunctis ineuntis tamen aetatis patrono debuit permulta Gualtero Blackett baronetto
hujus prredii regalis domino summa viro benevolentia cujus post mortem vitam ignotam egit et
obscuram. Johannes Fenwick procurator rerum forensium Novocastrensis, solus de liberis ejus
superstes patres esse gloriam filiorum existimans in memorlam parentis optime de se meriti hoc
faciundam curavit tabellam. Fuimus, Erimus.
North transept, west wall: H. S. E. Guilelmus Johnson, mercator, laboribus finitis, naturae cessit 26° die
Maii, .\.T>. 1725. Aet. suae, 69. And of Elizabeth, daughter of the late John Douglas, 189, Oxford
Street, London, who died at Hexham, 8 Nov.. 1861, aged 28 years, and is interred at the cemetery.
North transept, cast vail ■■ In memory of Thoinas Kirsopp of Gilligate, who died 18 Dec, 1798, aged 48
years. Ann Kirsopp, his wife, died 10 Nov., 1820, aged 69 years. Wilkinson Kirsopp, their eldest
son, died 12th Jan., 1810, aged 34 years, and was buried at Jedburgh. His only child, Jane Brunton
Anne, wife of Joseph John Wright of Sunderland, died 2nd March, 1836, aged 30 years, and was
buried at Jarrow.
William Kirsopp, their second son, died 20th Dec, 1816, aged 38 years. Issue of the said William
Kirsopp : J. W. Kirsopp, died 27 Sept., 1814, aged 2 months. Thomas, died nth July, 1810, aged 4
years. Anne, died I Feb., aged 26 years. Rebecca, died 19th Jan., 1840, aged 29 years. Elizabeth
Margaret, died 3rd Sept., 1840, aged 29 years. Ann, his wife, died 7th Aug., 1858, aged 76 years.
Thomas Kirsopp, their third son, died 14th March, 1806, aged 26 years. John, their fourth son, died
16 March, 1824, aged 38 years. Ann, their first daughter, died 3rd April, 1774, aged one year.
Rebecca, their second daughter, died 13 Jan., 1795, aged 21 years. Ann, their third daughter, died
23 April, 1800, aged 16 years. Abigail, their fourth daughter, died 4 July, 1839, aged 37 years.
Sub hoc mamiore sacrae reconduntur reliquiae Georgii Ritschel, patria Bohemi, religione reformati :
qui saeviente in protestantes Ferdinando 2*' omnibus gentilitis hereditatibus e.xutus, sed Higentorati
Lugduni Batavorum, aliarumque, academiarum externum, spoliis onustus quicquid eruditionis in istis
florentissimis musarum emporiis viguit, secum detulit Oxonium, Anno Domini 1644. Qua cele
berrima academia consummatis studiis aliorum commodo studere ccepit. Et contemplationibus
metaphysicis, vindiciis cerenioniarum ecclesiae Anglicanae, aliisque scriptis eruditissimis editis toto
orbe statim inclaruit. Tanta fama auctus, ecclesiam Augustaldensem, ad quam electus erat, et cui
praefuit annos plus minus 27, magis augustam, et tantum non cathedralem, qualis olim fuit, reliquit.
Natus Anno Domini 1616, denatus 1683.
North transept, west wall: To the memory of Caleb Rotheram, late of Kendal, D.D., who successfully
united the force of genius and industry in the cause of religion, truth, and liberty. The Holy
Scriptures were his favourite study, the doctrines he taught, and the rule of his life. With extensive
knowledge, unlimited benevolence, and rational affection, he adorned the characters of a minister,
tutor, parent, and friend, and died June 8th, 1752, aged 58.
South transept, east wall : Johannes Rotheram, M.D., obiit 18' Martii, 17S7, ffitatis suae 68. Eximias
animi dotes, Scientiarum studio excultas publico non suo emolumento impertivit.
Choir, south wall: M.S. Rev" Petri Rumney de Hexham, qui ob. 16 Feb., 1771 xt 56 et Eliz" uxoris ejus
quae ob. 7 Nov., 1795, a;t 79. Grata et pia proles hoc monumentum posuit 1796.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH. 199
Clioif, north wall: In memory of Ralphc Sparke, esq., of Summerrods, who died the gth of May, 1805,
aged 65 years. Also of Jane, his wife, who died the 6th of July, 1806, aged 56 years. And also of
Isaac Sparke of Summerrods, their son, who died 15th September, 1816, aged 23 years. And also of
Elizabeth Mary Sparke, his wife, who died the 27th March, 1819, aged 22 years.
Choir, floor : Here lies the body of Elizabeth Shaftoc, who departed this life the I2lh May, 1776, aged 43.
Also Charles Shaftoe, who died the 24th February, 1806, aged 77. Bdl Collection.
North transept, east wall: In memory of Mary Shaftoe, relict of Sir Cuthbert Shaftoe of Uavington
liall, who died June 15th, 1840, aged 86 years.
Choir, south wall : Sacred to the memory of Paul Vaillant of Hexham, who died Jan. 6, 1816, aged 76
years.
Choir, window on north side: In memoriam. The Rev. W. J. D. Waddilove of Beacon Grange, obiit
Oct. 26, 1859. Elizabeth Anne, his wife, obiit March 7, 1S74. Caroline Hope, wife of J. Errington,
esq.. High Warden, obiit March 31"' 1862. Georgina Maria, wife of C. C. Oxley, esq., Redcar, obiit
December 7, 1S64. Robert James Darley, obiit Oct. 7, 1S44. Caroline Gertrude, obiit Sep. 15, 1856.
Francis William Darley, obiit June 4, 1849. Louisa Fanny, obiit Nov. 3, 1831.
Graveyard : Here lieth the body of Lazarus Angas, son of William and Hannah Angas of Juniper Dye
house, who departed this life, March i, 176:1, aged 13 years.
Swift was his flight and short the road.
He closed his eyes and saw his God.
The flesh rests here till Jesus come
And claim the treasure from the tomb.
In memory of Matthew Carr, who died 30 Nov., 1757, in his 70th year, and of his wife Mary, who
died 18 September, aged 51.
Sacred to the memory of John Hcadlam Charlton of Hexham, surgeon, who died Jan. 7, 1S31,
aged 31 years. Also of Hannah, his daughter, who died Feb. 15, 1833, aged 10 years.
Sacred to the memory of the Rev. Joseph Gordon, for upwards of 11 years minister of the Scotch
church, Hexham, who died July 17, 1855, in the 37th year of his age.
On Thomas Graham, tinker, who departed this life Feby. 7, 1778, aged 103.
Stop here ambition, ancestry, and state.
Delusive phantoms of the empty great ;
Here honest poverty for mercy pleads.
Waits the last trump, and gloriously succeeds.
The place of interment of the Rev. Jasper Leadbitter, the sixth Leadbitter of the order of St.
Dominic, born at Low Warden on the nth of May, 1749, resided at Hexham 50 years, and died on
the " of July, 1830, aged 81 years.
Mary Loraine, died January 8, 1779, aged 63.
Sacred to the memory of Nevison Loraine, ironmonger, Hexham, who departed this life Sep. 24, 1839,
in the 40th year of his age. Also Robert Whitfield and Isabella, son and daughter of the above, who
died in infancy.
Here lies the body of the Rev. Benjamin Peile '■■ Oct. 13, 1790, aged 74 years. Elizabeth,
his widow, died March 24, 1797, aged 66 years. Bell Collection.
In memory of Christina Campbell, who was born on the 19th of Januaiy, 1793, and who died on
the 6th of April, 1828, at Gordon castle, in the parish, and was buried in the churchyard of Inveresk,
in Scotland. Erected by her husband, James Richardson, pastor of the Scotch church here.
In memory of the Rev. James Richardson, who was minister of the Scotch church here above 13
years, who died nth Dec, 1S30, in the 40th year of his age.
Here lies interred the body of John Nattrass, gentleman, who departed this life, February 9, 1787,
aged 70 years. Also of Henry, son of Nicholas and Isabella Ruddock, and grandson ofjohn
Nattrass, who departed this life 3 March, 1784, an infant.
To the memory of Nichohis Ruddock, of Oakerland, who died t6 Sept., 1818, aged 65 years. Also
'■'■' Obliterated.
200 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
of May Ruddock, wife of Nicholas Ruddock, of Hexham, who died ii April, 1831, aged 45 years.
Also of Isabel Ruddock, relict of Nicholas Ruddock, of Oakerland, who died 23 May, 1832, aged
86 years. Also of Nicholas Ruddock, of Oakerland, son of the above, who died 31 Dec, 1839,
aged 57. Also of John Ruddock, of Oakerland, who died June 5, 1857, aged 76 years.
At the east end 0/ the church: Here lies buried Dorothy Surtees, the wife of Cuthbert Surtees of New-
biggin, who died Feb. 15, 1751, aged 49 years. Here lies buried Cuthbert Surtees of Newbiggin,
who died Dec. 10, 1759, aged 52 years. Also Elizabeth Wilson of Newbiggin, who died 12 July,
1803, aged 36 years. Anthony Surtees, esq., of Newbiggin, son of the above-named Cuthbert
and Dorothy, and many years major of the Northumberland Militia, who died 20 July, 1803,
aged 60 years. Also Jane Wilson, niece of the above-named Anthony Surtees, esq., who died
June 23, 1826, aged 57 years. Also Leonard Wilson, esq., of Newbiggin, who was buried Dec. 7,
1839, aged 70 years. .'Vlso Dorothy Atkinson of Newbiggin, who was buried Sept. 9, 1840, aged 78
years. John Atkinson, esq., of Newbiggin, buried Dec. 31, 1844, aged 76 years. Also Emma Atkin-
son, youngest daughter of John Atkinson, esq., of Newbiggin, who died May 5, aged 3 months.
THE CHURCHES OF ST. MARY AND ST. PETER.
Besides his principal building, the church of St. Andrew, Wilfrid
erected two other churches at He.xham, dedicated respectively to St. Mary
the Virgin and to St. Peter.'
Of the church of St. Peter nothing is known. It is stated by Richard to
have been somewhat further removed from the priory than St. Mary's
church." It possibly may have stood on the east side of an open space,
corresponding roughly to the modern market place, facing the church of
St. Andrew. When the Danes burned the two sister churches of St.
Andrew and St. Mary, in the year 875, it can hardly have escaped destruc-
tion, and in all probability was never restored. Some remains, however,
may have e.xisted in the twelfth century, since Prior Richard speaks of the
church, but as he says nothing of its architecture, though he describes that of
St. Mary's, it may be inferred that the building was in ruins. At all events,
by the year 13 10 it had disappeared entirely, for it is not referred to in a
list of the churches of Hexham and the neighbourhood then drawn up. No
further trace of it appears, and to-day it is impossible even to identify
its site.
The history of the church of St. Mary is somewhat fuller. It is clear
from Eddi's account that it was built some time after the erection of the
' Pi'ior Richard, bk. i. cap. iv. ' ' Aliquantulum remotior.' Ibid.
THE CHURCHES (JF ST. MARY ANU ST. PETER. 20I
church of St. Peter.' The latter probably rose contemporaneously with the
priory, between the years 674 and 67S, but St. Mary's was not built luitil
about the years 705 to 709.
The events which led to the erection of this third church at Hexham
are thus recorded by Eddi. On Wilfrid's return from Rome about the year
705 he had occasion to pass through France. On the way he was seized by
a serious illness. His devoted followers carried their master to Meaux,
where he lay four davs and four nights in a trance, so that all men thought
his end was near. On the fourth day it seemed to him that the Archangel
Michael appeared at his bedside. The visitor announced himself as the
messenger of the most high God, and added that on account of the inter-
cession of the Virgin Mary, and the tears of his followers, Wilfrid's life
would be spared a few years longer. Finally, Wilfrid was admonished to
build a church in honour of the Virgin, in addition to those he had already
erected to the apostles Peter and Andrew.' Shortly after, Wilfrid returned
to England, where he was almost immediately restored to his former sees of
Hexham and Ripon. Hardly had the synod which carried out these decrees
broken up, when Wilfrid was again seized by a trance similar to that which
he had fallen into when at Meaux. This second visitation of so mysterious
a sickness, must have stimulated his purpose, and quickened his memory.
He can hardly have delayed long after his recovery before he began to
execute the mandate of the archangel. He erected the new building on the
east side of the church of St. Andrew, with only a graveyard intervening
between them, and a narrow lane for foot passengers. It was round in plan,
with four apses, facing north, south, east, and west.^ The altar was probably
in the middle. This church, left unfinished by Wilfrid, was completed by
Acca/ who did so much for the sister churches of St. Andrew and St. Peter.
In the year 875 it was destroyed in the great inroad of the Danes. It
probably remained in ruins for some time, until it was restored, on the
original plan, bv a person whom Aelred describes as a certain priest.'^ This
may have been Sproh or one of the Gamels, and in that case St. Mary's was
restored before St. Andrew's. Indeed it is not unlikely that when Hexham
' 'Jam enim memento quod in honore Sancti Petri et Andreae apostolorum domos aedificasti, Sanctae
vero Mariae semper Virgini, intercedcnti pro te, nullam fecisti.' Eddi, cap. Ixvi. Historians of York (Rolls
series), i. p. 84. '"' Ibiil.
' Aelred, cie Smictis, caps. iii. v. Prior Richarii, bk. i. cap. iv. ' Prior Richard, bk. i. cap. iv.
^ Aelred, de Sanctis, cap. v.
Vol. III. 26
202 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
became again inhabited, it seemed more expedient to undertake the easier
task of repairing the smaller chmxh rather than begin with the restoration of
the abbey. When the church of St. Andrew was at length renovated by the
Eilafs, St. Mary's continued to be used. The sanctity of the blessed Virgin
was held in awe and reverence, and it was related that an impious youth
who wished sacrilegiously to break into the church, had become suddenly
possessed bv the devil.'
When the Austin canons came to Hexham in the year 1113, St. Mary's
must necessarily have lost some of its importance, but it was, in all pro-
bability, regularly served by one or more of the canons. In the thirteenth
century it was at least of sufficient importance to justify the entire rebuilding
of the structure upon a rectangular plan, or perhaps the addition of a nave to
the original circular church.' This labour was, however, thrown away to a
great extent. The Scottish invasions of 1296 and the succeeding years so
depopulated the district, that the priory church was alone more than
sufficient to serve the needs of the surviving inhabitants, and in consequence
the canons of Hexham neglected to carry on the services at St. Mary's. In
November, 13 10, Archbishop Greenfield wrote complaining that no vicar
had been appointed to St. Mary's and other chapels in the shire. ^ A month
later the primate ordered Roger de Folketon, his guardian of the spiritualities
in Hexhamshire, to visit St. Mary's and other chapels in the district, because
their roofs were defective, and they were notoriously lacking in books, vest-
ments, and other ornaments, and to compel the parishioners to carry out the
necessary repairs.^
However successful Folketon may have been for the time, St. Mary's
seems to have subsequently suffered from neglect, and probably was allowed
graduallv to decav. In his History of Hexham^ Wright states that St.
' Aelred, dc Saudis, cap. v.
" The existing remains of the church are all of undoubted thirteenth-century workmanship.
^ Ht'xham Priory, ii. p. 123.
■■ 'Willelmus, etc., dilecto filio doniini Rogero de Folketon, custodi spiritualitatis nostre de Hextilde-
sham, salutem, etc. Quia intelleximus quod capelle Beate Marie de Hextildesham, de Alwenton, Sancti
Johannis de Lega, Sancti Oswaldi, et de Byngefeld, infra libertatem nostram de Hextildesham constitute,
tam in coopertura, quam libris, et vestimentis ac aliis ornamentis, defectum notorium paiiuntur, vobis ad
visiiandum predictas capellas ; ac ad corrigendum et rcformandum omnia que in eisdem videritis debite
leformanda necnon ad compellendum canonice parochianos earumdem capellarum ad reformationem
debitam prout eis incumbit ; ac omnia alia et singula faciendum, que in premissis et circa ea necessaria
fuci int. seu eciani oportuna, vobis tenore presentium committimus vices nostras, cum cohercionis canonice
potestate. Valete. Data apud Cawod, xviii'"" kalendas Januarii, anno domini m'ccc'x" [15th Dec, 1310]
et pontiflcatus nostri quinto.' York Registers, Grcenfjeld, i. f 51a.
THE CHURCHES OF ST. MARY AND ST. PETER. 2O3
Marv's was the parish church, and that, according to tradition, when it
'began to decay and grow out of repair, the abbey church being a noble and
more beautiful structure, it was agreed upon between the impropriator and
the parishioners to let the parish church go to ruin, and to keep in repair the
abbey church, and to make it the parish church.'' But St. Mary's never was
the parish church of Hexham, except, possibly for a short time in the
eleventh century, before Eilaf restored the priory. In the charter of
November, 1310, quoted above, St. Andrew's is expressly referred to as the
parish church, and St. Mary's is described as a chapel. At the dissolution in
1537, the priory was spared because it was the parish church. St. Mary's
had become a ruin, and had been diverted to secuhir purposes long before
the time of the agreement referred to by Wright, as the following extract
from the Borough Book of the year 1634 will show :
We find that the owners of the bakehouse in the old church and Mary Robson wyddow and Maly
Mountgomerie shall repaire and make a sufificient cawsay in the old church betwixt this and lammas
next upon paine of vi" viii' every one makeing defalt therein and that they shall lay noe dunge there upon
the like paine."
The ' old church ' here can scarcely be any other than St. Mary's, and by this
name it seems, even in its ruinous condition, to have been generally known.
That it was long since it had been used for religious purposes is evident from
the state to which it was then reduced. Part of it was used as a bakehouse,
a public thoroughfare ran through the middle of it, and apparently refuse had
been freely deposited there. This path through the church seems to have
existed for some time, and in the year 171 8 it is again referred to by one
Thomas Green, who states that he and a companion named Davison went
through ' the old church,' where they encountered some drunken rioters, one
of whom struck Davison on the head with a whip.^ In later years, dwelling
houses and shops gradually encroached upon the building, which has now
been completely absorbed in this way. A few columns and other parts
of thirteenth century workmanship may still be seen. The church seems
to have been of considerable dimensions, with two arcades of eight bays
each, separating the nave from the aisles.* In 1878 one cf the arches of
the church was exposed. It had been walled up in mediaeval times,
' Wright, Hist, of Hexham, p. 54. '- Hexham Manor Rolls. Borough Book, 1634.
^ Sessions Records, 29th October, 171S. Deposition of Thomas Green of Hexham.
* Proc. Newc. Soc. of Antiquaries, 1S87, which contains a paper by Mr. C. C. Hodges on the subject.
204
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
probably for defensive purposes and as a means of resisting the raids of
the Scots. A small lancet window had been pierced in the middle of this
wall, which has since been destroyed. No traces of the prte-Conquest
building exist, but in 1854
a window was discovered
in the house of Mr. Bell,
a chemist, 6 feet high by
7 inches wide, and tri-
angularly headed, which
was supposed, on account
of its form, to belong to
the earlier church.' In
iSSo, when an old wall
behind the 'Grapes' inn
was being removed, two
small cushion capitals and
a hood moulding of Nor-
man workmanship were
discovered, which, it is
suggested, mav very well
all belong to some portion
of St. Mary's church."
Of the chantry chapels
once existing at Hexham
but little is known, as the
traces thev have left are
exceedinglv scantv. On
the south side of the
choir of the priory church
a door still remains, which
led into an adjacent chantry of thirteenth-century date. All other traces of
this building, even to its foundations, have disappeared. ^ In the Survev of
1547 three chantry chapels are referred to, known respectivelv as Le Ladye
prest, Lez Roode, and Edward Herrison's chantrv,* and the first of these
Arch of St. M.arv's Chukch.
' Arch. Acl. V. p. 151.
' Supra, p. 79.
Hodges' Hexham Abbey, p. 22 n.
Ibid. p. SI.
NON-ESTAHI.ISIIED CHURCHKS. 205
must be identical with St. Mary's chantry, which is mentioned in another
document. The Survey of 1608 does not mention a single chantry in
Hexham, and it is reasonable to suppose that, at the Reformation, they were
devoted to secular uses, and that subsequently their original character was
lost sitrht of.
NON-ESTABLISHED CHURCHES.
Roman Catholics have always been an important body in the north of
England, and in He.xham and the shire the Reformation movement perhaps
made less impression than in most parts of the country. The Pilgrimage of
Grace was warmly taken up by the inhabitants of the district, as was every
other distinctively Roman Catholic movement. In 1677 a list of 'Popish
Recusants' living in Hexham was taken, and twenty-six names are given.
On a similar list, taken in 1745, forty-five names occur, and at the present
time a number of the inhabitants belong to the communion of Rome. The
buildings which are attached to Roman Catholic worship are necessarily of
modern date. Some years ago there were two chapels in Hexham, one in
Cockshaw (built in 1751), served by secular priests, and the other (built in
1796) belonging to the Dominican order.^ The new chapel in Hencotes
was not begun till 1821, when the Rev. Mr. Singleton laid the foundation
stone (April 22nd), and on Sept. 22nd, 1830, the chapel was opened bv Dr.
Penswick of Liverpool.'^ In [850 the Pope, when dividing England into
bishoprics, created the diocese of He.xham and Newcastle, comprising
the counties of Northumberland, Durham, Westmorland, and Cumberland,
having an area of 5,464 square miles. Although Hexham takes the first
place in the title of the diocese, the cathedral is at Newcastle, and it was
' The follo\\ ing are the names of the Roman Cathohc priests at Hexham, so far as they can be
ascertained: William Gascoigne, binied 23rd Dec , 1690 ; Goodger, buried 20th April, 169S ; Constantine
Jackson, probably a Dominican, died 29th April, 1717 ; Burn, prob.ably secular; Halsall, O.S.D., died
nth Feb., 1737; Edward Tait, 'buried in Hexham quire,' 21st Feb., 1736; Girlington, probably
secular; Chantrill, probably secular, buried 29th Sept., 1753; Clavering, probably secular; George
Gibson, secular, 1757-7S ; jasper Leadbitter, O.S.D., 'the sixth Leadbitter of the order of St. Dominic,'
1780-1830; Taylor, secular, 1779-87; Thomas Story, secular, 1788-94; J. Fletcher, secular, 1795-1806;
Matt. Sharp, secular, 1S06-26; Michael Singleton, 1826-63, under whose charge the two congregations
were united ; John A. Cooke, 1863, the present priest at Hexham, a canon of the Roman Catholic
Cathedral at Newcastle. Hexham Rc^nUr, etc. In the possession of the priest are the following
registers: The Dominican beginning "in 171 5; the Cockshaw; the Capheaton ; the Woodhead ; the
Stonecroft ; all belonging to discontinued missions.
- Sykes, Local Records, ii. pp. 217, 231, 282.
206 HEXHAM BOROt'GH.
only by a rescript, dated May 23rd, 1861, that the name Newcastle was
added to the original title, Hexham. The bishops who have occupied the
see since its foundation are: William Hogarth (Sept. 29th, 1850- Jan 2gth,
1866); James Chadwick (Oct. 28th, 1866-May 14th, 1882); John William
Bewick (Oct. 18th, 1882-Oct. 29th, 1886); Henry O'Callaghan (Jan. i8th,
1888-Sept. 27th, 18S9); and Thomas William Wilkinson, consecrated 28th
Dec, 1889.^
In 1 65 1 Mr. Thomas Tilham, a native, apparently, of Cheshire, was
appointed lecturer of Hexham, where he came to live on Dec. 27th, in the
same year. After an interval of seven months he decided to found a Baptist
church there. Within a very short time over eighty persons had joined the
congregation, which claimed to be the first church, with the exception of
Newcastle, in the north of England to receive the new faith. The young
community was not destined to remain long undisturbed. On the 4th of
June, 1653, there came to Hexham a man professing himself to be a Jewish
Rabbi, called Joseph Ben Israel. Before the assembled congregation he
declared himself converted to Christianity, recited the reasons for his change
of faith, and explained why he had chosen to become a Baptist. His state-
ment was accepted without reserve. Tilham agreed to baptize him on the
spot, and would have administered the communion had not the young man
declined to partake of it at that moment. So rejoiced was Tilham at his
new convert, that he published a tract relating the circumstances of the case,
and giving the Jew's confession. The Baptists of Newcastle, however, were
not so ready to accept the genuineness of the conversion of Joseph Ben
Israel as their brethren at Hexham. They therefore wrote to him inviting
him to come to Newcastle to defend himself against the charges that were
made against him. On June 21st he went to Newcastle, accompanied by
several members of the Hexham Baptist church, and upon his arrival he was
confronted by several witnesses, and submitted to a severe cross-examina-
tion. In spite of a great weight of testimony to prove that the pretended
Jew was none other than the son of Alexander Ramsay, a Scotch physician,
Tilham would not confess that he had been deceived, until at length Ramsay
himself drew him aside, and confessed that his accusers spoke the truth.
Tilham's pamphlet was answered by another, entitled, ' The False Jew ;
' The Northern Catholic Calendar for the Diocese of Hexhim and Newcastle, 1S95. A long account of the
Bishops is given in Brady's Episcopal Succession in England, Scotland, and Ireland, 3 vols. Rome, 1876-7.
NON-ESTABI.ISHKIJ CIUJKCHp:S. 20/
or a wonderful discovery of a Scot baptized at I^ondon as a Christian,
rebaptized at He.xhani as a believer, but foinid out at Newcastle to be a
cheat.'
During the progress of this controversy in 1653, the Baptists at Hexham
supplied General Lilburne's army, then stationed at Dalkeith, with a chap-
lain, in the person of Thomas Stackhouse, who went to perform this duty at
the earnest request of Edward Hickhorngill. Fresh troubles, however, were
in store for the communitv. In the discussion about the false Jew, Tilham
had accused the ministers of Newcastle of acting from spite. The heat of
Tilham on this occasion seems to have prejudiced the Newcastle congrega-
tion against him. In the following month, Thomas Gower, of Newcastle,
furiously attacked him for having celebrated a marriage between two persons
who were not both Baptists, and for using too great severity to one Major
Hobson, a member of Gower's congregation. The Hexham congregation
took up the cause of their minister with heat, and an acrimonious cor-
respondence ensued. Tilham was accused of want of orthodoxy, and
Stephen Anderton, a member of his church, endeavoured to raise the
question of the laying on of hands, but his plans were cut short by a
summary excommunication. Gower meanwhile pursued his attack, and
brought twelve articles of accusation against Tilham, and prevailed upon
the congregation of Coleman Street, London, to denounce him and all those
who were in favour of the laying on of hands. At last, in 1656, Tilham,
wearied at these repeated attacks, resigned, and withdrew to Germany. His
departure seems to have been the signal for the Hexham congregation to
split into two sections, one under Richard Orde, the other under John
Ward, situated respectivelv on the Tyne and Derwent ; Ward's party was
a secession from that of Tilham, while Orde was his devoted partisan. Con-
tinual schism and the persecutions of the Clarendon Code reduced the
Baptists to a very low condition, which was hardly improved by a great
revival in 1674, carried out by Ward of the Derwent church. After this
event the original Baptist church disappears, and the last entry in their
church book is dated 1682. A Baptist congregation, however, stirvived in
Hexham for many years after this date, and about 1760 it attained to con-
siderable influence under the ministrations of David Fernie, who took a
prominent part in the foundation of the Tuthill Stairs chapel at Newcastle.
A dissension in the church occurred at this time, caused bv the action of
208 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
some of the inenibers who thought Fernie occupied too sacerdotal a position.
After Fernie's death, in 1789, the Baptists at He.xham seemed to have died
out as a comiuunitv, and no more is heard of their congregation.'
One of the chief difficulties with which the Baptists had to contend was
the proneness of their members to join the Quakers. At the time of the Com-
monwealth this body was very numerous at Hexham. George Fox himself
visited the town about this time, and writes in his journal : ' Then passed we
on to Hexham, where we had a great meeting at top of an hill. And the
everlasting day, and renowned truth of the ever living God was sounded over
those dark countries, and his Son exalted over all.'- Like the Baptists, the
Quakers seem to have early disappeared from Hexham as a community.
The work of the Baptists in Hexham was taken up by the Independents,
who built a chapel in Broadgates in 1789. The congregation had been
formed in 1786,' and had met in a house called 'the Globe,' formerly an inn,
on Battle Hill. Thomas Robinson was the first regular minister, and
after his departure to Monkwearmouth, in 1795, he was succeeded by
William Robertson. The other ministers of the chapel, in the order of their
pastorates, have been John Scott, William Colefax, W. H. Hobson, John
Warde, S. Fairley, and J. Waland. The new church in Hencotes was
begun in 1869, and the Rev. Augustus Julian is the present minister.*
John Wesley visited Hexham five times altogether. His first visit was
on 5th April, 1747, when he writes : 'We set out early, and about eight
went out into the market place at Hexham. A multitude of people soon
ran together, the greater part mad as colts untamed.' On 8th June, 1761,
and 23rd June, 1781, the behaviour of his audiences had improved, and on
the latter occasion he was able to write, ' none were rude or uncivil in anv
respect, and very few w^ere inattentive.' On the 17th July, 1782, Wesley
was again in Hexham and preached, near the old priory, to an immense
multitude." In 1789, John Stobart, a glover, of Hexham, surrendered the
Cross house and garden in Gilligate, together with £\'^o at 5 per cent,
interest, out of which £'] was to be paid yearly to permit John Wesley and
.such other persons as he shall appoint to the free use and benefit of the said
' Douglas, History of the Baptist Churches in the \orth of England : Hanserd KnoUys Soc. Records of
Baptist Churches; Surtees Soc. Memoirs of Ambrose Barnes. - Journal, i. pp. 217-8.
^ Petition from John Knipe, minister, George and William Bell, for a large room in a stone-built house
to be set apart for a congregation of Protestant dissenters called Independents. 1st Dec, 17S6. Faculty
Book, York. ' Ridley, Hexham Chronicle, pp. 22-3, etc. ^ Journal, sub annis.
NON-ESTAIiLISHED CHURCHKS. 209
premises, to the intent that the said John Wesley and such other persons as
he may appoint may therein preach and expound God's Holy Word. Upon
Stobart's death trustees were to be appointed by the Society of Methodists,
the said trustees to be resident not more than fifty miles from the property.'
A chapel was built shortly after upon the site Stobart had given, and when
John Wesley paid his last visit to Hexham on the 3rd June, 1793, he writes:
' At Hexham they have lately built a convenient preaching house, but it is
too small already.'^ The chapel at the Abbey Gate was built in 1839,
and subsequently the Wesleyans removed to the present large building in
Beaumont Street. A Primitive Methodist congregation was formed in 1822.
In 1827 they erected their first meeting house in Battle Hill, and in 1830 the
Bull Bank chapel was built. At the present time they have three places of
worship, at Tanner's Row, Back Street, and Holy Island.^
It is uncertain when the Presbyterian congregation at Hexham was
formed. At the beginning of the eighteenth century two ministers are
mentioned, Joseph Gill, in July, 1708, and Ralph Lazenby, in Dec, 1714.^
'Hexham Manor Rolls. On April nth, 1781, Joseph Rodam, John Stol^art, John Knott, Robert
Lowes, Wm. Favour, and Edw. Bcarpark petitioned the archbishop of York for licence to tise the house
of Joseph Rodom for public worship. The certificate was delivered on the i6th of the same month.
Faculty Book, York. ■ Journal, sub anno. ^ Ridley, Hexham Chronicle, p. 47.
' The following paper contains one of the earliest notices of the community: 'In the information of
Ralph Lazonby, dissenting minister ; Thos. Carrick, chapman ; Edw. Straiglit, cordwainer ; Robt. Dawson,
shopkeeper ; Geo. Rutherford, chapman : John Gibson and John English, curriers ; all of Hexham, in the
county aforesaid, taken on oath before me this 8 June, 1713. Whoe doe severally and respectively upon
their oath say that Cuthbert Robison of Hexham, attourney att lawe, came onto the 'Geenced' meeting
house in Hexham aforesaid on the 7 day of this present month of June, being Sunday, betwixt the
hours of thre & foure on the afternoone of the same day, the doore of the said meeting house standing
open & the minister there in the pulpitt preaching, the said Cuthbert Robeson did sweare many oathes
and uttered many execerations, to the disturbing of the said congregation upon w''' two of the persons
then present tooke the said Cuthbert Robinson by the shoulders and turned him out of the house, affter
w' '■ the said Cuthbert Robison did brcake the windowes of the said meeting house, and did beate and
mainie George Ffarbridge, one of the said congregation, with thick end of his whip for endeavouring to
hinder him, the s** Robison, from committing this outrage, and fiulh"' say not. Sworn before J. Cotes-
worth. Signed, Ralph Lazonby, Thos. Carrick, Edward Straight, Robt. Dawson, Geo. Rutherford, Joh.
Gibson, Joh. English.' Bell Collection.
25th July, 1708, Mr. Jos. Gill preacher at ye meeting house buried in the church. Register. Adminis-
tration to his effects was granted at York,. 13th September, 1708, to his son Humphrey. Gill was of a
family of prominent nonconfirmists in Newcastle. In 1669 Gill was one of those assembled at the con-
venticle at Gilpin's house in the White Friars, four years befcu'e he obtained a lease from the Common
Council to carry coals from Fenhani fields across a portion of the Town Moor. Samuel Gill, Escj., who
died 26th October, 1720, was buried in St. George's porch in St. Nicholas'. By his will, which was
proved at York, he devised his lands at Wooden and elsewhere to his nephew, Henry (jill, 'son of my
brother-in-law, Joseph Gill', but charged with an annuity to his neice, Elizabeth, wife of Ralph Lazonby
of Hexham. Joseph Lazenby of Hexham married in 1751 Mary, sister of Enoch Hall of Newbigin and
Catcleugh. He was buried at Newburn, as appears by his wife's will, dated 6th September, 1771, wherein
she desires to be buried beside him, and devises her manor of Sadling Stones, in the parish of Nether-
w-arden, and the house in Hencotes, which her husband had purchased of Mr. Robert Uderton, to the use
of her cousin, John Gill, Escj., practitioner in physic, then residing in Ireland. She also gave ^^300 to
Ralph Lazonby of Sunderland, brother of the half-blood to her late husband, and ^400 to Benjamin Peiie.
Ambrose Barnes, 40S ; Brand, Neurastle, vol. i. pp. 29S, 433; York Testa, cf. vol. ii. p. 465.
Vol. III. 27
2IO HEXHAM BOROUGH.
The meeting house in Gilligate was not built till about 1716. Lazenby was
minister at this time, and he was succeeded by Hovvpe, Scarsfield, and
others. About 1740 there was a secession, owing apparently to some
objections raised against Scarsfield's successor. Benjamin Peile (1756-90)
succeeded to the ministry of the Gilligate chapel, while Mr. Wardroper
became pastor of the secession party, which built a meeting house at the Hall
orchard. Patrick Kerr, Scott, and Liddle succeeded him, and upon the
death of the last, the congregation were reunited, about 1806, and chose
William Sinclair as their pastor. Robert Laurie, J. Wilson, and James
Richardson (1817-30) were the succeeding ministers. It was during Mr.
Richardson's pastorate that the Scotch church in Hencotes was built by sub-
scription, upon ground presented by Mr. T. W. Beaumont, and opened 8th
July, 1825. Upon Richardson's death in 1830, a dispute took place about
the election of a successor, and on the appointment of William Nixon, a
number of members left the church and formed themselves into a separate
congregation, obtaining as a place of worship the old Roman Catholic chapel
at Cockshaw. They joined themselves to the United Presbyterian body.
Their first minister was John Boyd, D.D., of Glasgow (1833-44), and his
successors have been Peter Bannatyne (1845-8), Alexander Henderson
(185 1 -4), and in 1856 the Rev. John M. Wilson, the present minister. At
the Hencotes chapel, which was connected with the Established Church of
Scotland,' Nixon was succeeded by Robert Carswell (1833-8), James Blair
(1839-44), Joseph Gordon (1844-55), — Lockhart, Andrew Irving, —
Patterson, George Brotcher, George Heron Watson, George Farquharson
(1859-61), Robert Smith, and Robert Brotchie (1881-3). On Mr. Brotchie's
resignation in 1883, the two Presbyterian congregations were reunited under
the Rev. J. M. Wilson, minister of the secession chapel. The old Scotch
church has been let to the incumbent and churchwardens of Hexham as a
school and parish room, and the Hexham Presbyterians now worship in a
new building on Battle Hill.'
According to a census taken in 18 10, the number of Nonconformists in
' 'The members of the congregation are in direct communion with the estabhshed church of Scotland
. . . although they are connected with no presbytery, nor are cognizable by any synod or assembly
beyond the reach of their own session, composed of ministers and elders.' Wright, History of Hexham,
p. 58. They were subsequently connected with the newly-formed presbytery of Berwick, to whom the
building known as the Scotch church actually belongs.
-■ Wright, Hexham, pp. 57-8. Ridley, Hexham Chronicle, pp. 36-7. Mackenzie and Dent, Northumh.r-
lanil, ii. p. 275. MacCrie, Account of the United Presbyterian Church. Hexham Register.
THE FRKK GRAMMAt': SCHOOL. 211
Hexham at that time was as follows : ' Roman Catholics, 233, including all
the members of every family; Presbyterians, 192; 83 joined members in
the Methodist Connection; besides a few Baptists, who have no established
place of worship.''
THE FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
During the Middle Ages, and even after the Renaissance, education was
only partially carried out in England. The religious houses maintained
schools for the instruction of the young, and the education of novices and
others connected with them. That of Hexham is incidentally mentioned in
connection with the Scotch invasion of 1296.^ But even these schools were
swept away at the dissolution. This destruction of the monastic houses
undoubtedly dealt a severe blow at learning in the north of England, at least
for the time being. In 1578 it is recorded that there were only twenty-one
schoolmasters in the whole of Northumberland, of whom eleven were at
Newcastle. The remaining ten were distributed as follows : Three at Ber-
wick, two each at Alnwick and Morpeth, and one each at Corbridge, Alston
Moor, and Woodhorne.^ Henry VHI., Edward VI., and Elizabeth all
endeavoured to remedy this state of affairs by the foundation of grammar
schools in all parts of the kingdom. Among the schools thus founded, one
was established at Hexham. A charter was issued July i8th, 1599.'' The
new foundation was to be styled the Free grammar school of Queen Elizabeth
at Hexham. Its management was entrusted to twelve governors : John Ridley
of Coastley, Gabriel Blenkinsopp of Greenridge, Philip Thirlwall of Over
Ardley, John Swinburne of Blackball, Richard Carr, Richard Gibson, John
Sparke, Peter Bell, Edward Gibson, Gilbert Robson, Robert Jackson, and
Thomas Liddell. The appointment was to be for life, though a governor
was free to resign, or he might be deposed for misconduct by a resolution of
' Mackenzie and Dent, Northumberland, ii. p. 333.
'^ On the 1st of May, 1294, Archbishop Romayne visited Hexham, and made Thomas de Wervelton
master of his grammar school there. Hexham Priory, i. preface, p. Ixxix.
' Raine, North Durham, p. xlix.
' The original charter is still preserved among the archives of the school. .See also Cat. State Pafcrs,
Domestic. Eliz. cclxxi. p. 214.
212 HEXHAM UOROUGH.
his colleagues.' Within a month after a vacancy had occurred, the remaining
governors were required to appoint a suitable person to fill the post, the
consent of the archbishop of York being necessary to confirm the election.
Only fit persons, of full age, and inhabitants of Hexham parish, were eligible.
In case the governors neglected to fill up vacancies within the specified time,
the power of doing so lapsed to the archbishop of York. Possibly it was in
conformity with this clause that in 1791 the archbishop was requested to
make good the election of two governors, whose appointment was invalid
owing to the neglect of certain formalities. -
The governors constitute a body corporate, with all the rights and
duties thereto attached, having a common seal, and the right of acquiring
property to the value of ^40 per annum, the Statute of Mortmain notwith-
standing. They were required to take an oath properlv to discharge their
functions, and to observe faithfully the terms of the charter under which they
were constituted. They were further required to appoint two of their
number annually to act as stewards of the revenues of the school, who
should render an account to their colleagues at the expiration of their term
of office.
The appointment of a schoolmaster rested with the governors, though
the approval of the archbishop of York was necessary to confirm his election.
He was required to be an honest, learned, and discreet man, of the age of
twenty-six or upwards, a member of the Church of England, and at least a
master of arts of Oxford or Cambridsje. Besides subscribinsj the thirtv-nine
articles and the oath of supremacy, he also took an oath to diligently execute
his office, and faithfully observe all the ordinances and statutes of the school.
He could only be dismissed by the vote of the governors, made with the
approval of the archbishop of York. In the whole history of the school
only one master was dismissed, although another was apparently forced to
resign.
In order that the schoolmaster might not remain unaided in his work,
it was further provided that ' the aforesaid school shall have one able and
' 'Att a meeting of the governors whose names are here subscribed, this day had, it is noted and
agreed that Thomas (jibson of Hexham, one of the governors of this ffree schoole, being now a person of
a very bad carriage & behaviour fibr generall good reasons & sufficient . . . shall bee removed from
ye said government. And therefore wee doe hereby note agree and declare ye said Thomas Gibson to
be none of ye governors of ye said schoole, nor to have any thing to doe with ye said schoole revenues,
hee not dischargeing the trust that was reposed in him, etc' School Minute Books, 24th Nov., 1673. One
or two similar cases occur later on. " IbiJ. 13th Sep., 1791.
THK FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
213
sufficient usher, discreet, sober, and of godly conversation, a professor of
true religion, and sufficiently furnished both with the Greek and Latin
tongues.' The schoolmaster himself might make this appointment with
the approval of the
governors. Like the
schoolmaster, the usher
was required to take
an oath, engaging him-
self to observe the
statutes of the school
and to obey the school-
master.
The general rules
for the government of
the school were drawn
up a vear after the
issue of the charter
(Sept. loth, 1600),
apparently by the gov-
ernors. As an illustra-
tion of the views held
at the time about the
education of boys, they
possess great interest,
although from the
nature of some parts
of the scheme, and the
curious arrangement of
the whole, it may be T™ ^''^^ grammar School,
thought that those who framed them had a theoretical, rather than a
practical, acquaintance with the education of the young.
On the principle that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, the
first place was to be given to religious instruction. Prayers, specially
selected from the Prayer Book, were to be used both morning and evening,
at the opening and closing of the school. Once a week the schoolmaster
was to teach his pupils some short catechism, and on Fridays the scholars
214 HEXHAM ROROUGH.
were publicly to discuss the sermons they had listened to on the preceding
Sunday. School was to be opened at six o'clock in the morning, and
continued until eleven, when the scholars went away to dinner. At quarter
to one they reassembled, and remained at work until five, when they were to
go home, ' after they shall have made some short prayer to be said by one of
the schollars.' A monitor was appointed from among the elder boys to see
that his companions arrived punctually at school hours, and at the end of
every week he delivered to the schoolmaster his list of delinquents.
The first and chief subject taught in the school was grammar (Latin
apparently, and not English), because 'ye principles and foundation of any
art being surely grounded, ye whole building will be both fayre and sure.'
For the sake of convenience the school was divided into seven forms, the
first being the lowest. The following course of study was prescribed for
each form :
First form : The rules at the beginning of Lyly's Grammar; and Pueriles confabulatiunculae.
Second form: Cato, Disticha; /Esop's Fables.
Third form : Latin grammar ; Erasmus' Colloquies ; NowcH's Catechism ; and ' some comedie in
Terence.'
Fourth form : ' Grammar, figures, and prosodia ' ; TuUie's (i.e., Cicero's) Epistles, collected by
Sturmius ; Terence ; Ovid, de Tristibus.
Fifth form: Grammar; 'Tullie's Epistolae familiares, or Mr. Askam's Epistles; and for poets, Ovid's
Epistles ; Palengenius and Mantuan, or some of them.'
Sixth form: Greek grammar, repeating ever>' morning some portion of the Latin grammar; some
oration of Tullie ; Virgil's Bucolics and Georgics ; Ovid, Metamorphosis. Greek writers:
Basil's Epistles at the end of Clenard's Grammar, and Theognis.
Seventh form ; Greek grammar, and the daily repetition of some part of the Latin grammar. Latin
authors: Tulle's Orations; Cresar's Commentaries or Sallust; Virgil's Aeneid ; Horace or
Lucan. Greek authors: Isocrates; 'especiallie then Demosthenes'; Homer, Hesiod,
Phocilides, and such like.
In the last form much latitude was naturally left to the master, who
would select the books he thought most suitable and best adapted to the
requirements and abilities of his pupils.
Latin composition was to be encouraged at the earliest possible oppor-
tunity. ' First, so soon as the scholler hath any perceiveing or tast in the
Latin tongue, ye scholmaster shall cause all and every scholler to make one
epistle weekly ; and everv one of his own mind both in matter and wordes,
without anie help anie way, according to ye precepts of Erasmus and Ludo-
vicus Vives in their books de conscribendis Epistolis.' After this form of
composition had been perfected, the master was to teach Apthonius'
THE FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL. 2I5
exercises, and read Cicero's rules on the oratorical art, together with the
general principles of rhetoric. He was then to propose a subject for dis-
putation, which was to be talvcn up by two of the principal scholars, and
after they had prepared and learnt their respective parts by heart, the dis-
putation took place publicly before the rest of the school. Naturally the art
of Latin versification was not forgotten, though that, as the most difficult
part of the course, was taught last. The study of Greek was to proceed on
similar lines, the grammar and parts of some author were first to be mastered,
then the pupils might begin to compose epistles, and finally turn to versi-
fication.
In the midst of more ambitious studies the art of writing was not
forgotten, and it was especially provided that the pupils should learn the
'Greek, Roman, and secretary hands.' An examination in this subject was to
be held every week, in which two of the most proficient scholars acted as
judges.
Because ' Socrates saith that love and comendacion of praiseys are a
great spurr unto a scholler to stir him up to virtue ' it was provided that
every quarter at least all manner of compositions, whether Latin or Greek,
prepared by the boys should be handed in to the master, who, ' after due
examining, peruseing, and reading, shall place that scholler who hath ye
best epistle, etc., in ye chiefest or best seat of that form in the which he
. remayneth, without anie favour or respecte of persouns whatsoever.'
The three lower forms of the school were under the charge of the usher,
but the master taught the remaining four, unless for any reason he was
absent, in which case the usher took charge of the whole school.
Although the wisdom of putting a comedy of Terence or Ovid's Tristia
into the hands of a pupil before Caesar's Commentaries or even Virgil was
mastered might appear questionable, not to mention the introduction of
modern writers in Greek and Latin, it is evident that the course given above
would suffice to give a very adequate knowledge of the ancient classics. It
seems clear that the education it was proposed to provide was not intended
as a preparation for a business and commercial career.
On the important question of discipline the statutes are very explicit.
The school hours, and the monitors who were to see that they were
observed, have already been mentioned. Pupils were required to use the
Latin tongue in school, as soon as they were able to do so, and they were to
2l6 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
make their entrance and exit to and from school with ' some select or chosen
sentence in Latin or Greek.' Amusements tending to evil were strictly
forbidden : ' They shall use, in or neare the schole, no weppons, as dagger,
sworde, staffe, cudgell, or suche like. They shall use no buvinge, sellinge,
or defrauding of their fellowes by anie waies or meanes. They shall haunte
no ailehouses or playeinge at unlawfull games, as dice, cardes, or such like.'
Wholesome exercise was, however, duly provided for, because ' recreation
of myndes and relaxacion of studies are in some sorte or respecte neces-
sarie.' This excellent reason, if stated somewhat haltingly, led to the
insertion of a provision in favour of the boys that 'for theire exercise uppon
playe dayes, they shalbe furnished with bowes and arrowes.' The 'playe
dayes' were themselves duly regulated. There were to be three vacations in
the year, beginning on the Monday before St. Thomas' day (Dec. 21), the
Wednesday before Easter, and the Wednesday before Whitsuntide, each
vacation lasting twelve days. This regulation was tempered by a provision
that on every day during holiday time the scholars should repair to the
school between 8 and 9 o'clock in the morning and 2 and 3 o'clock in the
afternoon to repeat such things as the schoolmaster might think profitable.
Saturday after 2 o'clock, in every week, was set apart as a holiday, but all
other holidays, as for 'shooting days and potacions,' were to be at the
discretion of the schoolmaster. There was not to be more than one play
day a week, and for this rule Saturday did not count nor such saints' days as
were set apart as holidays by the church calendar. The master himself was
not allowed to be absent from Hexham for more than thirty days in the year,
except by the express permission of the governors, because ' a negligent
master doth make careless scollers.' Expulsion was the most severe punish-
ment for breaches of discipline, and a pupil once expelled could only be
received back again into the school by making a full confession of his fault
and by humblv petitioning the governors to allow him to be readmitted.
Apparently exercise with bows and arrows was much out of date for
the boys of the school, even before the eighteenth century had become
very old. Many of the neighbouring gentrv seem to have sent their sons to
school at Hexham, and these boys preferred the more fashionable sport of
cockfighting. This sport was an expensive one, and as the poorer scholars
were naturally anxious not to be outdone by their more wealthy fellows,
there was danger that their parents would object to the expense, or else that
THE FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL. 21/
they would leave off sending their sons to the school from fear that the cost
would be too great. It was a consideration of these questions that induced
the governors to issue the following order ;
Forasmuch as an evill and unwarranted custome hath for many years last past been kept upp and
practised by the scholars of and belonging to the fifree gramar school, founded by her late majesty Queen
Elizabeth, in Hexham, whereby they have had, and yett demand it as their due, play or recess from their
studys every Tuesday and Thursday from twelve of the clocke of those days, from the time of their
coming to school after every Christmas till the Shrovetide after ; and doe take upon themselves on the
first day of their coming to school after every Christmas to nominate or chuse two scholars to stand
candidates for captain or victor of the said school, and to decide the same by fighting of cocks' att every
Shrovetide for a silver bell, which is given to the candidate who wins or getts two matches out of three.
And in respect it is found by good experience that such the aforesaid evill custome hath not onely tended
to the alienateing and withdrawing the minds of the said scholars from their books and studys, but hath
alsoe putt the parents of such candidates to great expense and charge, to the great discouragement of the
neighbouring gentry in sending their children to the said school, and to the manifest disadvantage of the
master thereof. Wee, the governors of the said school, att a meetings this day had, having taken the
premisses into our serious deliberation, and having the wellfare and advancement of the said school very
much att heart, doe therefore order that for the future the said scholars shall have play from their
entering to school after every Christmas, on the Thursday afternoon onely in every week, till the Shrove-
tide after, and not on the Tuesday afternoon as formerly. And wee doe further order that the aforesaid
custome of chuseing such candidates as aforesaid, and for fighting cocks for the said silver bell, shall for
ever hereafter be abrogated and laid aside ; and that the said silver bell shall, upon demand, be delivered
upp to the said governours, to be disposed off as they shall thinke fitt ; and that if any scholar or scholars
now being, or hereafter to be, att the said school shall wilfully doe any thing in breach of this order, he
or they see offending shall be expelled the said school, provided that nothing herein contained shall
hinder or prevent the scholars of the said school from having att every Shrovetide hereafter the usuall
time of play or recess from their study.'
The charter of Elizabeth, in spite of the numerous articles it contained
for the regulation of the property of the school, and notwithstanding the fact
that the school was meant to be free, was accompanied by no royal grant of
money or of land. It was hoped that the locality itself would supply the
endowment, and the charter was undoubtedly intended to stimulate private
generosity. As a further inducement it was provided that a vellum tablet,
inscribed with the names of the benefactors of the school should be hung
up in the school room. No such tablet seems ever to have been prepared,
and this appears to imply that the benefactors of the school were few and
the sums they gave inconsiderable. The maximum revenue of ^40,
provided for in the charter, would have been sufficient to maintain the
school at the time the charter was drawn up, if it had ever been obtained.
But the revenues of the school rarelv exceeded one half of that sum, and it
The Hexham cockpit was situated in a yard in Back Row. Robb, Hexham Fifty Years Ago, p. 5.
- School Minute Books, 27th March, 1719.
Vol. Ill 28
2l8 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
was evident from the first that the term free as applied to the school was a
misnomer. Even in the regulations drawn up by the original governors in
1600, there is the following stipulation: 'and forasmoche as hitherunto the
beginnings of the said school are verie small, and not sufficient for the enter-
tainment of a learned schoolmaster, it is neverthelesse thought fitt that the
said schoolmaster and usher shall, above theire said stipends, receive at the
fower severall quarter dales of alle the scollers under them for theire ferrulas
the summes following, viz. : of everie scholler born within the parrish of
Hexham only fower pence by the year . . . and the schoolmaster's
ferrulas for everie of his scollers born withoute the said parrish shalbe fower
shillings yearely . . . and the usher's ferrulas of everie of the said
scollers in his fourme, born withoute the said parrish shalbe two shillings by
the yeare.'
It may be stated that in 1587, or twelve years before the issue of
Elizabeth's charter, George Lawson of Little Usworth, had bequeathed ;^20
for 'the maintenance of a gramer scole in Hexam.'' This money was almost
certainly appropriated by the governors of the school as soon as their body
was constituted, and perhaps the bequest itself was the occasion that led to
the drawing up of the charter. But no benefactions came in immediately
after 1599, and the school regulations were not drawn up till a year later,
while at the end of them the date 1602 is written. As no endowments were
given the governors seem to have fallen back upon a sort of voluntary rate,
paid by persons who gave their bonds to contribute so much annually
towards the maintenance of the school. There was a small collection taken
in 1602, in Allendale, but there was no regular collection from those who
gave bonds till 1608, when nearly £it, was raised. Sir Ralph Lawson of
Brough contributing £10. From 1608 to 1736 these collections were
taken iminterruptedly twice in the year, and they gradually increased in
value, until about 1675 they almost realised the maximum amount of ^^40.
Subsequently, however, they fell off rapidly, and the last time the rate was
levied it realised less than ^19."
In the meantime a few endowments had been left to the school. In
1634 Mrs. Ord bequeathed ;^ioo to it; and in 1637 Ralph Carr, B.D., of St.
John's college, Cambridge, presented the school with seven acres of land,
' Surt. Soc. Wills and Inventories, ii. p. 323. " School Minute Books.
THE FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL. 219
lying in the west field of Hexham, called Gilligate fields.' Other smaller
endowments followed later on, of which may be mentioned £10 from Henry
Simpson in 1684; ;^20 from John Coulson in 1692; £10 from John Carr in
1 7 10; and £10 from Dame Mary Blackett in 1757. In addition to these,
in 1679, Dame Mary Fenwick, widow of Sir John Fenwick, late lord of the
manor, who was killed at Marston Moor, gave ;^ioo in trust to the governors
of the school to be used for binding poor children apprentices. The
existence of the body of governors of the grammar school was found
convenient by those who wished to found charities which were quite un-
connected with the school. Thus, in 1702, Mrs. Ann Radcliffe of Dilston,
sister of the earl of Derwentwater, left £io annually to be distributed to the
poor of Hexham. Similarly, John Carr left £'iOO for alms houses, which
still continue to be administered by the governors; in 1715 Edward Smith
bequeathed ^60, the interest of which was to be annually distributed among
the poor of Hexham by the same body, and in 1773 William Bell, of High
Shield, left £60 for the poor, of which the governors were appointed the
trustees." The money acquired by the voluntary rate was often employed in
buying mortgages or making money advances upon similar securities, and the
other funds seem to have been spent in investments in real property. This
was leased out to various farmers for short periods, as the statutes of the
school did not permit the governors to give leases for more than twenty-one
years. The school, though only possessed of these slender resources, was
probably carried on from about 1608, when the regular accounts begin, for
' 'Ad banc curiam compertum est per homagium, quod Radulphus Carr de coll. Sci. Johannis in
academia Cantabregiensi, tbeologii bachelareus, in propria persona sua extra curiam, scilicet xxv^ die
mensis Novembris anno regis Caroli nunc Anglie, boc xii° A.D. 1636 venit apud Hexbam predictum in
aedibus Ricardi Carr fratris sui coram ipso dicto Ricardo Carr, ballivo regalitatis sive manerii predict! et
coram Geo. Gibson, sen', glover, et Artburo Sparke, tayler, duobus tenentibus per copiam rotulorum
curie manerii predicti, in presencia Job. Cliuth, Wm. Leschman, et aliorum hoc testantium et absente
curie secundum consuetudinem ejusdem manerii ibidem, infra manerium ab antiquo usitatum sursum
reddidit in manus dicti domini manerii per manus ipsorum ballivi et tenentium prefatoram, totum ilium
clausum suum prout includitur per se, et continentem per estimationem septem acras terre, prati, yel
pasture sive sit plus vel minus, jacentem in campis occidentalibus de Hexbam predicto, vocatis anglice
Gilligate feilds, et inter terras nuper Job. Ridley generosi de Coastley, defuncti, et jam in tenura Job. Bell,
tanner, ex parte occidentali, et terras Rob. Kirrsopp ex parte orientali, et vulgo vocatas per nomen del
Burswellfflatt, cum singulis pertinentiis eidem spectantibus, ad opus et usum Benoni Steer, clerici, Job.
Hearon, Wm. Heslopp, et Ric. Gibson, quatuor gubernatoruni libere schole grammaticalis Regine
Elizabethe in Hexham infra comitatum Northumbrie predictum, et ceterorum sociorum suorum guberna-
torum ejusdem scbole, et successorum suorum, a tempore in tempus in perpetuum. Qui gubernatores, etc.,
tam pro se quam pro ceteris sociis suis gubernatoribus dicte libere scbole, presentes hoc in curia, petunt se
admitti ad premissa predicta secundum intencionem prioris sursum redditionis et secundum consuetudinem
hujus manerii quibus dictus dominus manerii, per senescballum suum concessit inde seisinam, tenendum,
etc., reddendum inde annuatim dicto domino manerii iiijd. ad festa predicta.' Hexham Manor Rolls,
May, 1637. - Ritschell, Tyndale Charities; Wright, Hexham, pp. 232-4.
CX3
06
00
OO
12
09
OO
03
06
OO
01
08
220 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
although there is no definite mention of a master before 1638, it is certain
that Forster occupied the position before that time. How long he did so it
is impossible to say, though it is probable that he occupied the post of master
between 1608 and 1638.
No building was originally erected for the accommodation of the master
and his scholars, and it has been suggested that the building at the east end
of the church was used for this purpose, since it was commonlv known as the
' Old School." Whatever the school house may have been, money was spent
upon it in 1652, as the following payments show :
For three lockes and keyes for the schoole doores ...
To WiUiam Smith for iron for the schoole chymny ...
To John Taylor, vvhytesmith, for making the chymny and mending
two locks ...
Two Matthew Stokoe for writing one petition"
Less than twelve years later some attempt was made to provide the
school with a proper and definite habitation. The governors of the school
consulted the four-and-twenty, and the latter agreed to put a cess on the
town for the purpose of building a school house. _:^28 was gathered in this
way, though those who were charged with the collection of the money
detained it in their own hands until 1680.^ Further collections seem to have
been made, for in 1684 the present school house on the Hall Stile Bank was
erected at a cost of :^iSO-* The town had subscribed the greater part of
this sum, but not the whole, and to make up the deficiency the governors of
the school instructed their stewards to rigorously collect all the rate money
that was overdue :
Whereas we, the governors of this free schoole of Hexham, together with the flower and twenty of this
s'' towne, haveing undertaken the building of a schoole house for the use and benifitt of the schoole
master and scholars of the s'' schoole, & haveing alsoe taken the subscription of all or most part of the
inhabitants of the s" parish what they would freely contribute to the carrj'ing on of the s'' worke, wee doe
' Wright, History of Hexham, p. 43. ^ School Minute Books, 1652.
' 'Whereas there was, in or about the year of our Lord God 1665 collected within this towne the sum
of twenty eight pounds, which sum as yett remaines in the hands of Cuthbert Bell, Wm. Robson, Tho.
Leadbitter, Jane Dickinson, Edw. Smith, Jn. Soulby, Ant. Stokoe, Edw. Rowland, Jn. Wilkinson, jun.,
Jn. Thompson, & Hen. Stokoe, or some of them, wee doe therefore present and order that the said
persons shall, within one month next after the giveing in of this verdict, pay in the said sum of twenty
eight pounds (with consideration according to the statute) to the governors of the ft'ree grammar schoole
of Queen Elizabeth in Hexham, upon paine of xv' euery one refuseing to pay in his parte thereof. And
wee doe further order that the said moneys soe paid to the governors of the aforesaid schoole shall be by
them bestowed upon and towards the buying & building of a schoole house for this towne. And if it
shall happen at any time hereafter that any action shall be comenced by any person against any of the
said parties by whom the said sess was collected, and by this order to be paid as aforesaid, wee doe
present and order that the parties soe sued or troubled as aforesaid shall, at the towne's charge, be kept
harmeless & indempnified of & from all actions or suits to be brought for the same.' Hexham Manor Rolls,
Borough Book, 1680. ' Mackenzie and Dent, Northumberland, ii. p. 334.
THE FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL. 221
finde the s'' se%'erall sums soe by them subscribed as afores'' to come farr short of the charge of finishing
the s'' worke. We doe therefor order & agree that John Carr, one of the present stewards of the stock
& revenue of the s"* schoole, shall forthwith collect as much of the arreare money belonging to the revenue
of the s'' schoole (over and above what payeth the master his yearly salliary) as conveniently he can, &
that he pay the same towards the carrying on of the s'' worke, & wee doe hereby agree that what money
he disburseth as aboves'' belonging to the revenue of the s'' schoole shall be allowed him in his account of
his stewardship. Witness our hands this one and thirtieth day of July, A.D. i68;.'
It is doubtful if the provisions of the original charter of the school were
ever thoroughly carried out. It has already been stated that at no time in
the course of its history has the school been free. The scheme of education
was designed on too ambitious a scale to suit the requirements of a remote
country town, and although the sons of the gentry might receive a full
classical training, their poorer companions, who were ultimately destined for
trade or agriculture, would be unwilling to spend their time upon subjects so
unprofitable as far as they were concerned. Towards the end of the seven-
teenth century there appears to have been a great maladministration of the
rules, for there was no usher, and it is doubtful if there ever had been one ;
the accounts were kept secret, and it seems probable that some of the money
belonging to the school had been lost. George Ritschell, who had carefully
gathered information on these and other matters, wrote to the archbishop of
York on the subject :
Most rev' father in God : I conceive it my duty, being under your grace's jurisdiction, to give you an
account of ye state of our ffree grammar school, how ye governors of later years seem to have laid asyde
their constitutions, and govern according to pleasure, for they keep no usher, and hire a master for so much
a year ; and to take of y' odium of turning him off upon every little peak, they made y" late master
sign a writing to resign y" school upon three months' warning, nor did they acquaint him with their
constitutions, and y" affaires of ye school, nor have they a table of y" benefactors' names, etc., and they
keep their accounts amongst ymselves.
Some years ago I accidentally gott a sight and copy of their charter and constitutions (which has
been no small pece of mortification to them) and a while after I spoke to some of them about reforming
some things, which they seemd willing to do, but when I spoke to Mr. John Carr, who is Sir William
Blackett's steward here, he resented it ill, and said would they be govemd by an arch bishop's constitu-
tions, and before middsummer last when I read the processe for a court I cited John Wilkinson and
Robert Bell, the late stewards, to bring in their accounts, he could not forbear to speak, and said ' not to
you,' and after service was ended he continued in great passion and reproved me for medling with their
school, would they give an account to y'' curate of Hexham, it should cost him loo '"', etc.
They have also y" disposeing of some moneys for y" use of the poor ; how they manage that affair is
known to themselves, yet it seems as if due care has not been taken thereof, for that they have a rent
charge of loo ''•' from old Sir John Fenwicke, and none of them can remember any demand either of
' School Minute Books, sub anno. It may be mentioned that this reservation of a part of the revenue
for the building fund was not strictly legal, for by the original charter the whole of the income of the
school was to be paid to the master, with the exception of ^4, which constituted the salary of the usher.
Geo. Ritschell states that the school building was subsequently used as the sessions house (Tyndale
Charities, p. 9); but this must only have been temporary. Ritschell's book bears the date 1713.
222 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
interest or principal, and when they demanded it of ye late Sir John after he had sold ye estate, his
attorney told me he had pleaded or would plead it was paid, and a governor confest they had other
money in bad hands, and madam Mary ffenwick haveing left loo '"' to ye town to buy somewhat to bind
poor children apprentices, Mr. Algood, ye bailife, has gott that mony into his hands. It's true that some
few have been bound by him, but I have heard some of ye partys complain that they could not gett ye
mony due upon that account. Haveing trespassed upon your patienc by so many particulars these begg
pardon for this trouble and leave to subscribe myself, your grace's most humble servant,
George Ritschell.'
It is only right to state that Ritschell at that time was anxious to find
out anything which told against the bailiff, Thomas Allgood, who was the
principal governor of the school. Allgood, on his side, had done his utmost
to eject Ritschell from his curacy, who may have made his complaint to the
archbishop rather from resentment against Allgood than from zeal for the
school.
Even in the most flourishing days of the school the endowments had
been very meagre, and the inducements for an efficient man to take charge
of the school were not great. As the value of money declined, and as the
expense of an education at Oxford and Cambridge increased, this difficulty
became greater. A man who had incurred the expense consequent upon
obtaining the degree of Master of Arts at Oxford or Cambridge, would not
easily be tempted by the insignificant endowment of the Hexham grammar
school, even though supplemented by the fees of the scholars, which had
been considerably increased since their amount was first settled. In Wright's
time, besides an entrance fee of 5s., the boys paid 30s. a year for their educa-
tion." At the present time the same entrance fee is maintained, but the other
fees have been raised from 30s. yearly to a guinea a quarter for a rudimentary
education, and a guinea and a half per quarter for the higher branches.
In 1824, upon the resignation of Thomas Scurr, there was great difficulty
in filling the vacant mastership, since no fit person applied for the post. At
last the governors took counsel's opinion on the possibility of making altera-
tions in their charter. They were advised to apply to the Court of
Chancery, and accordingly they made their petition in 1827. After their
case had been stated, an order was obtained which sanctioned most of the
alterations in the charter which they had asked for, notably the provision
dealing with the status of the schoolmaster, who was no longer required to
be a Master of Arts, and they were released from the obligation of employing
an usher. These alterations led to a modification of the governors' oath
' Archbishop oj York's Papers. The letter is dated March 4, 1699. ^ History of Hexham, p. 226.
THE FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL.
223
which was drawn up to suit the newer form of regulations. While this
question was pending, James Urwin was appointed to conduct the work of
the school, upon the understanding that he should not receive any share in
the endowments until the cost of the legal proceedings had been defrayed.
As these costs were very considerable, Urwin did not definitely become
master till 1833.^
Of late years an attempt has been made to raise the standard of the
school by diverting the Fenwick and RadcliflFe charities and other moneys for
that purpose. This scheme of creating a higher grade school in Hexham is
at present under the consideration of the charity commissioners. The
present master, Mr. Hyslop, has about thirty pupils under his care, and he
teaches Greek, Latin, French, and elementary mathematics, among other
subjects.
The endowments of the school throughout the nineteenth century have
amounted to about ;^20, with very little variation on either side. In the
year 1892 the governors made the following return of the property in their
hands :
Dr. £ s. d.
To apprentices' bank (Hudshaw bank,
6 ac. 3 r. 19 p.) ... ... ... 24 o o
„ Causey field, i ac. 3 r. i p. ... 13 o o
„ ^667 4s. 8d., consols at 2| percent. 17 17 S
„ Mrs. Radcliffe's charity 10 o o
„ P.O. savings bank, ^50 8s. lod. at
2i per cent. ... ... ... i 4 10
Cr
By almshouses ...
„ apprentices...
„ schoolmaster's salary-
„ insurance
, balance in P.O. savings bank
£
s.
d.
... 4
7
10
• ■• 43
2
6
... 18
6
8
0
12
3
.. 49
'5
7
A statement made in the present year of property exclusively belonging
to the school differs somewhat from the above :
School-house and site, mastei^'s house adjoining, worth yearly ..
Garden, ;f 3 ; stable, ^3
Undivided share of Causey hill field, 43 ac. 2 r. 39 p.
Consols, ^551 i8s. 9d.
£ s. d.
14 o o
600
6 5 5
13 9 9
List of Masters.^
1638, before Whitsuntide. — Forster.
„ „ „ Robert Thompson. ' Desbursed to Robert Thompson for teaching the
scoole after Mr. ftbrster schoole M' his departure from the schoole, 30s."
' Further Report of the Charity Commissioners, 1830, p. 4S0.
- The master is allowed to let the dwelling house, garden, and stables for his own profit, their annual
value being set down here at /^2o annually.
' Compiled from the School Minute Books. The names of Carelton and Dodson are given on the
authority of the Hexham Register ; those of Ogle and Stackhouse on that of Wright, History of Hexham,
p. 229. ' School Minute Books.
224 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
1640. Leech.'
1642, 1st Sep. — Anderton. ' Monyes disbursed by me, Launcelot Algood, at his entrance: ffor
his horse hire from Newcastle to Hexham, 3s.; item, to Peter Bell, carpenter, and his sonne, the i" of
September, 2s. 4d. ; item, to Peter Bell, the 2nd of September, is.; item, for iron nales to Peter Bell for y"
M' his seate and table, 4d.'"
1658, 5th March. Andrew Carelton mentioned.
1660, 3rd March. Peter Dodson mentioned.
1661, 25th Nov. Robert Leedes appointed. 'Bestowed upon y'' master at his entering to ye school,
in wine and tobacco, 7s."
Circa 1673, Whitsuntide. — Collingwood appointed.
Circa 1677, Martinmas. Christopher Smith appointed.
Circa 1685, May. James Cocking appointed.
1696. William Bewick. He was bom at Hexham, and educated at Durham school, and matricu-
lated at St. John's College, Cambridge, June 13th, 1688, aged 17. He published 'Several Letters and
Miscellany Poems, at the request of several ingenious and learned persons. The second edition, with
the addition of many others ; Newcastle, printed for the author, and sold by James Fleming, bookseller,
on Tyne bridge, 1742.' He translated 'Mantua', in which was a satire against women, and published
'A Sermon, preached at Hexham upon the public occasion and fast, being the 20th of June, 1696, dedi-
cated to the right worshipful Sir William Blackett,'and others his gracious benefactors."
1698. Robert Cocking.
1701. John Ogle.
1702. Thomas Stackhouse, bom 1680. He also acted as minister of the English church at Amster-
dam. Later on he was successively curate at Richmond, Ealing, and Finchley. He was ultimately
appointed vicar of Benham Valence, in Berkshire, where he died Oct. 11, 1752. His principal works
were: 'A New History of the Bible,' 'A Complete Body of Divinity,' and 'Memoirs of Bishop Atterbury.'
Several of his sermons and controversial works were also printed.'
1705. William Haswell.
Circa 1 7 13. William Bewick appointed.
1716. Nicholas Lowes.
1717, 6th March. William Rotheram appointed.
Circa 1720, June. William Johnson appointed.
1723, 6th Nov. Alexander Stokoe of Haydon Bridge ; appointed curate of St. John Lee.
1729, loth Feb. Thomas Bolton of Stokesley appointed.
1735, loth March. Richard Stokoe of Haydon Bridge. He was ejected 9th February, 1737, on a
charge of mismanagement.
1737, 2nd March. Joseph Railton of Carlisle appointed. Afterwards rector of Knaresdale.
1742, 4th February. Thomas Hudson of Durham appointed. He was also curate of WTiitley and of
Blanchland. ' I am sorry to find so great complaints at Hexham against the schoolmaster. The more
so because I had a hand in recommending him ; for he was usher here and behaved very well while with
us. 1 perceive, if he will not go off of himself, the govemours design to article against him and eject
him.' Archdeacon Sharpe to the Archbishop of York, dated Durham, 28th Oct., 1746.°
1747, nth May. Abraham Brown of Corsenside appointed. Also minister of Whitley chapel for
60 years. Licensed at York, June 2, 1748.
1765, 17th June. Peter Rumney, late of Kirby hill, Yorkshire, appointed. Also perpetual curate of
Hexham.
1771, 24th June. George Busby of Gateshead appointed. Also perpetual curate of He.xham.'
' John Todd, son of Andrew Todd of Hexham, merchant ; educated at Hexham school (Mr Leech) ;
admitted to St. Joh. Coll., Cam., 7 July, aged 16, as sizar for Mr. Tyrwhitt. Admissions to St. John's
Coll., Cambridge. " Scliool Minute Books. ' Ibid.
' Communicated by the Rev. E. H. Adamson. ' Chalmers' Biog. Diet.
° Archbishop of York's papers. ' See notice of him in Gentkman's Magazine for 1799, p. 168.
The Moot Hall.
THK TWO lOWKKS. 225
1802, May. Thomas Scurr entered the stliool, but he was not definitely appointed till i4tli Sep.,
1806. He acted as perpetual curate of Allendale and Thockerin},'ton, and resigned the grammar school
18th June, 1824. ' He was a mathematician of repute.'
1833, 28th Feb. James Urwin appointed. He had actually held the appointment since 1S25, though
in an informal manner. See supra, p. 223. Licensed at York on resignation of Thomas Scurr, Sep. 18,
1833-
1862, loth April. Thomas Dobson, B.A., appointed. He was born at Hexham, 13th October, 1814,
and was educated at the grammar school under Scurr and Urwin. In 1847 he went to St. John's college,
Cambridge, and was placed seventeenth wrangler in 1849. From 1850 to 1853 he was head master of
the chief school in Hobart Town, Tasmania. On returning to England he became in succession assistant
master at the naval school at Greenwich hospital, and head master of the school frigate ' Conway,'
stationed in the Mersey. In 1862, hearing that the mastership of the school at Hexham was vacant, he
applied for the post, and in a few years restored to it its former prosperity and consideration. In 1876 he
was appointed head master at the marine school. South Shields, and he remained at this post till his
death, on the 8th October, 1885. He interested himself chiefly in meteorology, particularly cyclonology,
upon which he published several tracts. His book. Contributions to Local History, contains a brief
summary of the early history of his native town.'
1875, 1st Dec. George Bowker appointed.
1882, 2nd Feb. John Hyslop appointed.
For a long time the grammar school was the only place of education of
any importance in Hexham. In 1813, however, a subscription school was
built at the head of the Skinner Burn Street. Towards the total cost of the
building, £2)-\7i Colonel Beaumont contributed ;^I50, and T. W. Beaumont
_;^20. The number of scholars soon after its foundation was 240." On
January i6th, 1874, a school board was formed compulsorily. It consists of
seven members, who are elected triennially, the school buildings are situated
in the Sele, on a site given by Mr. W. B. Beaumont. There is accom-
modation for 900 children, and the average attendance is 700. St. Mary's
Roman Catholic school on Battle Hill was built in 1840 for 180 children,
and the average attendance is 190.
THE TWO TOWERS.
Though less important than the church, the two ancient towers attract
attention as soon as the town is entered. One of these, the Moot hall,
stands in the market place, opposite the church, and the other, now known
as the Manor office, as situated somewhat further to the east. The date at
which the latter building was erected may be almost exactly ascertained from
two entries in the reiristers at York. The first of these contains an order
from Archbishop Melton, dated June 8th, 1330, directing Thomas Fox, the
receiver of Hexham, to cause a gaol to be built, in which prisoners may be
' VVelford, Men of Mark, ii. pp. 84-8. - Wright, History 0/ Hexham, pp. 48, 49.
Vol. III. 29
226 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
incarcerated and securely guarded, the expenses of which were to be paid
out of the revenues of the shire/ The other, dated nineteen months later,
is directed to Robert de Bridelington, the steward of the regality, ordering
him to furnish the gaol at Hexham with chains, manacles, and all things
necessary for the repair of the building and the safeguarding of the prisoners.
At the same time, one John de Cawode, a barber, was appointed gaoler, at a
salary of two pence a day.' It seems evident that at this latter date the gaol
had been completed.
The documentary evidence bearing upon the date of the erection of the
Moot hall is not nearly so satisfactory or conclusive as that which concerns
the other tower. A letter of Archbishop Thoresby to his receiver, dated the
25th of May, 1355, does not go far to elucidate this question. The arch-
bishop writes to say that he has heard that the chamber of his bailiff and the
hall of his pleas at Hexham are in a very ruinous condition, and he orders
the receiver to take steps to have the repairs carried out, the money
necessary for the work to be charged upon his account.^
From this document it is clear that some kind of building for the trans-
action of manorial business had been in existence long before 1355, and it
' 'Willehmis, etc., dilecto filio domino Thomae Fox receptor! nostro de Hextildesham, salutem, etc.
Volumus et tibi mandamus quatinus unam bonam gaolam at fortem fieri facias, in qua nostri prisones et
incarcerati secure valeant custodiri, et expensas quas circa illius edificacionem racionabiliter apposueris
tibi super tuo compoto volumus allocari. Vale. Dat. apud Thorp juxta Ebor. sexto Idus Junii, pontificatus
nostri tercio decimo' [June 8, 1330]. York Registers, Melton, f. 28 a.
- 'Willelmus, etc., dilecto filio magistro Roberto de Bridelington, terrarum nostrarum senescallo,
salutem. Volumus et vobis mandamus quatinus gaolam nostram apud Hextildesham, compedes, inani-
culas, aliaque ferramenta et utensilia quae, pro ipsius gaolae reparacione et custodia incarceratorum in
eadem necessaria fuerint debita, facialis reparari. Ad haec quia Johannem de Cawode, barbitonsorem,
praesencium bajulum, praefecimus servientem manerii et villae nostrae de Hextildesham et custodem
gaolae nostrae ibidem ; volumus quod eidem Johanni pro obsequiis suis in officio predicto, stipendia sua
pro salario suo impendi et liberari facialis, prout alii in eodem officio ante haec tempora nobis deservientes
pro salario suo percipere consueverunt ; saltem quod singulis diebus duos denarios optineat prout con-
suetuni erat existenlibus in officio praedicto hactenus liberari. Valete. Data apud Cawode, xiiij kalendas
Februarii, pontificatus nostri anno quinto decimo' [January 19th, 1332]. Ibid. {. 431 a.
Subsequent gaolers were not satisfied with this pittance. In 1635 William Lishman, the gaoler of
Hexham, sued Christopher Ridley of Linhirst for a debt of 7s. 2d. for gaol fees, charges, diet, etc., which
Ridley had incurred while a prisoner upon a warrant of the High Commission Court. Lishman was non-
suited ; but he and his predecessors had probably made money out of their prisoners from fees, etc., for
many years. Hexham Manor Rolls.
"'Johan par la soeffrance de Dieu ercevesque d'Euerwyk, etc., a notre receivour de Hextildesham
quore est ou pour temps serra, saluz. Por ceo si nous avons entenduz qe nos molyns celles parties et la
chaumbre notre baillif a Hextildesham et la sale de noz plees illoeqes sont mout ruinouses et busoignent
mout de reparacion, si volons el vous mandons qi vous farez reparailler les dites molins et mesons par la
ou il busoigne el par veue et testmoignance notre dit baillif Richard de Ask, el volons qi de ces qi serra
issinl mis sur les dites molins el inesons eiez due allouance sur voire acounte. Done souz notre prive
seal a notre manoir pres de Westm. le xxv jour de Maii Pan du regne notre seigneur sire Edward, roi
d'Engleterre et de France, c'est assavoir d'Engleterre vincesme noefsisine, et de France sezisine' [25th
May, 1355]. York Registers. Thoresby, f. 300 a.
THE TWO TOWERS.
227
may have been a fortified structure similar to that now existing at Hexham.
In other respects the letter is unsatisfactory. The archbishop is so ignorant
of the affairs of the locahty that he does not even know the name of his own
receiver. A report has reached him that the building is exceedingly
dilapidated, and he at once writes to see that the defect is remedied. In
view of these circumstances it would be unwise to lay too much stress on the
wording of the letter. It is possible that in compliance with its terms the
The Gaol or Manor Office.
old building was patched up to serve for a few years longer, or the present
building may have been erected at that time because the old one was not
worth repairing.
It is curious, however, that only one tower at Hexham is mentioned in
the list of castles and fortalices in Northumberland taken in 141 5, although
there is nothing in the entry to indicate whether the gaol or the Moot hall
228 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
is referred to.' At the same time no inference can be drawn from this
omission, for the two towers may have been joined together by a curtain
wall, and considered as one castle. In the survey of Northumbrian castles
taken by Sir Robert Bowes in 1550, only one tower is spoken of in the
earlier part of the document, and it is clear from the context that the gaol is
referred to, but the two towers were both in existence at that time at all
events, and indeed they are expressly referred to in a later part of the same
paper."
A more significant reference is in the will of Thomas Lyndley of
Lvndley, near Ottley, dated 1439, by which the testator bequeathes his
armour then lying in the new tower at Hexham.' The Moot hall must be
the building referred to in this document, for the gaol was over a hundred
years old at that time. But here, again, the evidence does not justify any
certain conclusions, and the Moot hall, though it was then several years
old, may have been styled new by comparison with the older building, the
gaol. When all the documentary evidence upon the subject has been
weighed, the only positive deduction that can be drawn from it is that the
Moot hall was erected at some time between 1355 and 1439.
The history of the towers belongs exclusively to the history of the
regality in which they were placed, and the events connected with them pos-
sess only a local interest. During the administration of Lord Dacre, and
generally in the early part of the sixteenth century, the gaol was almost
always full of prisoners. Lord Dacre's methods of dealing with refractory
tenants have already been described, and large numbers of them found their
way into the manorial prison. In 15 15, after several of these men had been
imprisoned, there was a serious riot in the town, and the mob angrily
demanded the release of the delinquents. This riot, however, was put down
by force. '' Lord Dacre, during his administration of the regality, seems to
have kept the gaol constantly full, to such an extent, indeed, that in 1526 he
himself complained that it was a great charge, some of the prisoners having
been confined there for a year.^
During the time Lord Dacre had been in ofiice he was successful in
safeguarding the prisoners in the gaol ; but six years after he had resigned
' The entry is simply : 'Turris de Hexham . . . Aichiepiscopi Eboraci.' Hodgson, Northuiiihcr-
land, III. i. p. 29. - Ibid. III. ii. pp. 227, 22S, 245. '' Test. Ehor. ii. Suit. Soc. p. 71.
' Cal. State Papers, Henry VIII. ed. Brewer, ii. 15S. ^ Ibid. iv. 2052.
THE TWO TOWERS. 229
his office the place was broken open, and the prisoners were liberated. The
circumstances of the rescue, as far as they can be gathered from the con-
temporary documents, were as follows : It appears that, early in December,
1538, a man named Robert More, styling himself a priest of Chichester, was
arrested at Hexham, and confined in the gaol. The country was at that time
in a very agitated state ; the dissolution of Hexham priory had only recently
taken place, the Pilgrimage of Grace was still fresh in men's memories,
bands of desperate outlaws frequented the whole district, and some dis-
turbance seems to have been anticipated. Reynold Carnaby, the bailiff,
was away from Hexham, for the plague was raging there, but Lewis Ogle,
his deputy, ordered the constables of the town to be in readiness in their har-
ness, and gave instructions that twenty-four men should be posted to watch
outside the town, a special guard being set about the prison. The watch was
faithfully kept until long after midnight, when some of the guards being
' symple poore men withowte barneys or goode weapyns,' thought that all
danger was past, and accordingly departed, ' sum of theym for to see ther
catall in ther closez.' Before the night was over, however, the remaining
watchmen were surprised by a band of outlaws, who robbed and beat them,
broke into the prison, and rescued the inmates, amongst whom, besides
More, were some notorious characters, notably one Jerry Charlton, alias
Topping, Clement Armstrong, and two men named Dodd.
Carnaby hastened to inform the council in the North of the event,
stating that the assailants were Scots of Liddesdale, joined with the Tynedale
men and other English outlaws, among whom the Charltons were prominent.
A strict enquiry was at once made, under the direction of the earl of West-
morland, Thomas Tempest, and Richard Belassez. In their notes and
evidences some particulars are given of the state of the gaol at that time,
which are worthy of notice :
We thynke upon all th' examinacions that we covvde make, the cheffe defawte and pi-yncypall cans of
the brekyng of the seid prysonn and escape of the said prisonerz was in defaulte that ther was no gaoler
or other persoun certeyn appoynted for the sure kepyngof the seid gaole; for ther was noon other keping
of theym but sumtyme oon, sumtyme oon other wheche broght mete to the prysoun.
And also we fynde that ther were two strong wodde doores and oon yronn doore or any man coude
cum to the hous where the prysoners were, wheche two wodde doores were opyn withowte lokke or other
feslyneng for theym. Also upon the yronn doore was no goode lokkes to lokke theym, but ther was two
symple hangyng lokkes upon the utter syde of the seyd yronn doore, wheche were of small strenght or
defens. Also that the prysoners myght cum and so didde at ther pleasure, at all tymes, to the utter doore,
and ther spake w' ther freendes when they wold. And that they were not fetterd, but lowse in the hous
at the tyme of the brekyng of the seid piysoun. Also that the seid lokkys were so symple and wayke
230 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
that w' the fyrst strokes that were geven they did breke, and so the seid thevys were taken owte of
prysoun w' owte taryeng and sodeynlye had aweye or the towne had any warnyng or were assembled
togiddres.
Also we fyndc that ther be two prysoun pytts or doungions in the same prysoun towre ; and ther were
grete stokkes there, made both for legges and amies, wheche haddc beene taken a soundre and not
yoyned ayen w' ther yronns and festynenges as they sholde have been, and that ther was no fetters, con
pair excepted, or other thinges for sure kepyng of pr>'soners within the seid towre ; and as we be enformed,
ten shillings in nioneye expended upon the premissis in tyme wold have made the prysoun so strong that
it coude not have been easelye broken upon oon nyght.
Also that upon the towre hede, where as the watchemen sholde have defended the seid towre, were no
stonys or other thynges to caste downe for defens of the prysoun doore.
Fynallye, we thynke surelye that necligent kepinge of the seid prysoun, and not makyng sure lokkes
for the doores of the same, and no gaoler appoynted for the sure kepyng of the prysoun, were chefe
causes of the seid escapes.'
In spite of the strong terms of this report no improvements were
made in the condition of the gaol, or if they were made things speedily-
returned to their former state. In the great survey of the Borders, taken by
Sir Robert Bowes in 1552, both the towers at Hexham are reported to be
' muche in decaye, because there is no yerly reparacions allowed to be doone
upon them.' The report also states that 'the towre (/.c, the gaol) standethe
alone without the towne, and euerv man may come to the dore of the
prison and talke with the prisoners at all tymes, which were convenyent to
be amended if it sholde be used as a warde or prison for offenders.' Sir
Robert Bowes was of opinion that the gaol could be made into a useful
residence for the keeper of Tynedale, ' if it were made something stronger,
and had a house made adioyning thereunto, sufficyent for a keper of Tyne-
dale to dwell in.' " The same opinion was also expressed, some years after-
wards, by Sir Ralph Sadler.^
No more notice seems to have been taken of Sir Robert Bowes' recom-
mendations than of those of the earl of Westmorland and his successors.
The towers were allowed gradually to fall into decay, though they attracted
the attention of every one who visited the town. When the survey of 1608
was taken, the surveyors added a short memorandum about the towers to
their account of the regality :
Memorandum. His majestic hath within the towne of Hexham aforesaid two faire towers or
buildinges, the one called the courthouse, thother the gaole, both built of freestone and couered with
leade. The first, beinge vsed for keepinge of his majesties court letes, and the iij weekes court ther, is in
' 'The examynacionn of Hexham men.' Cottonian MSS. Caligula, b. v. 37. This has also supplied
most of the materials for the account of the breaking of the gaol. Other authorities have been Cat. State
Papers, Henry VIII. ed. Gairdner, xiii. pt. ii. Nos. 1030, 1075, 1095, iioi.
■ State Papers, Domestic, addenda, Ed. \T. iiii. No. 30, printed in Hodgson, Northumberland, III. ii.
pp. 227-S. 3 ht/ra, p. 248.
THE TWO TOWERS. 23 I
good reparation, saue onely in the roofe wher the leade is wantinge in divers places, which might in tyme
be amended and repaired with a small chardge. Thother, beinge vscd for a gaole or prison (whcrin are
vsuallie imprisoned not onely felons, but also such as are sued in the court ther for debts betweene partic
and partie, which oftentimes are vcrie many, as is seldome without somnie) is at this present in very
great ruine and decay, both in the timber and leade, especiallie in the leade vpon the roofe, which is
worne soe thinne and therby exceedinglie decayed, and somme purloyned away, as that the raine
continuallie falleth into the house vpon the timber and flowres within, have rotted them so much as that
of necessitie they must either be newmade, or els all will fall to the grounde. The jurie ther haue
certified vpon their verdict that cl" will hardly repaire both the said buildings in leade and timber.
Neuertheles vpon our vievve and conference had with experienced men wee doe iudge and verilie
thinke that if the leade yet remaininge vpon the gaole should be taken of and sold at the best advantage,
that the money therof ariseinge would be sufficient with somme xxx" more both to repaire the courthouse
and to buy timber for makinge a new roofe vpon the gaole, to be covered with slaites instead of lead
(which would serue for that purpose almost as well as the other). But howsoeuer, in our opinions, wee
thinke it fitt two soe goodly buildings belongidge to soe large auncient and populous a signiory should not
be lett fall to the ground for wante of a litle chardge, though they were not soe necessarie for present and
continuall vse as they are. Per Barth: Haggatt, superuisor.'
During the Scotch war of 1640 Hexham was inspected by Sir Michael
Ernie and Captain Lloyd, with a view to its defensive capabilities. Both
officers agreed that it would be impossible to put artillery in the towers, but
they suggested that they might be garrisoned with 1 50 musketeers.^ Sub-
sequently the towers were devoted to more peaceful purposes, though
prisoners were confined in the gaol as late as 1824. The modern name,
Manor office, is derived from the fact that business of the manor was trans-
acted there till the time when the courts ceased to be held, in 1867. The
Moot hall was used as a court house till 1838, when the sessions were trans-
ferred to the restored abbey house. Both buildings are the property of the
lord of the manor.
It is evident that the two towers and the subordinate buildings which
were once connected with them formed what was in effect a castle, which
had a curtain wall surrounding a bailey, the Moot hall being the main
entrance gateway. The gaol, answering to the keep in a castle, was an
isolated building within the bailey on the side furthest from the town. The
position was the strongest one that the site of the town afforded, the defences
being in the main provided by nature. There are no indications of the
existence of a moat, which does not seem to have been required, as the steep
banks to the north and east were a sufficient defence on two sides, while on
the southern side there ran the Cowgarth burn, which formed to some extent
a natural moat.
' Lund Revenue Office. Survey of Hexham Royalty, i6oS.
' Cal. State Papers, Chas. I. ccccxli. 3; ccccxlii. 52, etc.
HEXHAM KOROUGH.
The fact that the entrance passage of the gateway was protected by no
less than three pairs of gates shows how elaborate were the means taken to
defend the bailey, not only against an attack from the open side of the site,
but also from the town itself. It may perhaps be inferred that the bailey
wall was provided with towers at its angles, and possibly in the intermediate
space also.
Although no record of an earlier date than 1330 is at present known
which refers to these buildings, there can be no doubt that some defensive
arrangement existed on the site from the time when the archbishop of York
first became lord of the regality.
The order for the building of a gaol in the register of Archbishop
Melton can refer to none other than the existing building and its curtain
wall, and this, with the subsequent order for the fitting up of the gaol and
the appointment of a gaoler, dated 19th January, 1332, show that the
building was erected between those two dates.
The Moot hall is later in date, and, to judge from the few parts of it
which have remained unchanged, it cannot be much earlier than the closing
years of the fourteenth century. That the two towers were not in course of
erection at the same time is evident from the nature of the material of which
they are composed. The gateway is entirely of freshly quarried stone from
the beds on the south side of the Tyne, while the gaol is almost entirely of
re-used material, chiefly of Roman dressing. The stone, which is similar to
that of all the Roman material used at Hexham, has come from the fine free-
stone beds on the north side of the Tyne. It is more than probable that all
the stone in the gaol came from the station at Corbridge, and that this
source of supply had become exhausted when the new gateway was built.
At any rate not a single stone of Roman dressing has been observed in the
walls of the gateway as far as they are visible, and like the transepts of the
church they are all of newly quarried stone, and built of ashlar of large
dimensions.
The earliest known drawing of the gaol is one by Carter in the British
Museum.' It is valuable, as it shows some features now destroyed, and a
small plan on the same sheet gives the internal arrangements of the ground
floor before the alterations made in this century had been carried out. The
building was entered by a doorway on the ground level in the west wall.
' Add. MSS 29,933, f- '°3-
THE TWO TOWERS. 233
The original doorway seems to hav'c still existed in Carter's time ; but it has
since been removed, and another inserted a little more to the north. The
ground floor was divided by a cross wall into two equal portions. In the
floor of the northern room was an opening which communicated with an
underground vault, long since filled in and built up, but which is remembered
as having been open by some old Hexham people. The ground story is
still covered by a semicircular barrel vault in one span. Immediately to the
north of the doorway, and entered from the room to the north, is the newel
stair, by which access to the upper floors and the roof and battlements was
gained. The upper part of this stair still remains, and its course up the wall
can be traced on the outside, where three of the four slits which lighted it
still exist. The original windows that remain are confined to the upper
story. Some have two lights and some only one. Thev have trefoiled
heads, with fully developed cusps, but no hood moulds. E.xternally, the
elevation is divided into three stages by set-offs. The first is a high plinth,
close to the ground. This is stepped down where the original doorway was
placed. At the level of the upper floor a bold set-off", with a moulding below
it, is carried entirely round the building. The most striking feature of the
tower is the fine range of corbels which surmounts the walls, having formerly
supported the machicolated parapet. The corbels are in three projections,
rounded underneath, and are of large size, and all perfect. They are si.xty-
four in number, one being omitted on the west side where the staircase passes
to gain the level of the battlements. They form a striking feature in the
building, as their continuity is entirely unbroken by galleries, turrets, or
angle bartizans.
The Moot hall was intended to serve a distinct purpose from the gaol,
and is therefore built upon another plan with different arrangements. Its
construction admirably adapts it for its various functions of gateway, justice
hall, and dwelling for the seneschal or bailiff. The ground floor consists of
two divisions, one being the covered passage of the gateway ; the other, the
northern portion, occupies the remainder of the space, and consists of a
chamber, measuring 30 feet 10 inches in length and 20 feet in breadth,
covered with a plain segmental barrel vault. There are two doorvvavs into
it ; one having a square head leads from the passage, the other on the east
side is now blocked up by the later stone steps. It is a good pointed door-
way of fair size. There were two windows to light this room, one to the
Vol. III. ^o
234 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
north, now blocked, is of two lights, with cusped heads ; the other is towards
the bailey, and is of four lights. The passage has a pointed vault of four-
centered form, which is interrupted by the jambs and arches of three gate-
ways, each of two leaves. The two western gates closed the passage on the
town side, the eastern one shut it off from the bailey. The crooks on which
the gates hung still remain, though the gates themselves are gone. Beyond
the outer gateway arch, on either side, a much more lofty arch spans the
passage, and carries the outer walls of the gateway portion of the structure,
so that the upper floor, which is clear above the passage, is of the T plan, the
head of the T lying to the south. These higher portions of the passage are
covered with a four-centered vault, of much higher pitch than that in the
rest of the passage, and are carried on two moulded ribs. Between the inner
rib and the wall surface there is, in each case, a narrow space of the width of
the vaulting rib, and as long as the whole span of the arch, open to the floor
above. These spaces were used in the same way as the machicolations
under the parapets. Above the passage there are two floors in the main
building, both of which occupy the whole area, except the ends of the arms
of the T. There were, therefore, two halls, 45 feet 9 inches long and 20 feet
wide. These are now so completely changed internally by modern additions
and alterations that their original arrangements can no longer be made out.
Above the ceiling of the upper rooms there are, however, some interesting
details left. These consist of the internal arches of the windows, three in
number. These arches are of considerable size, and segmental in form, the
angles being relieved bv the hollow chamfer. The fireplaces were on the
east side, where a large chimney breast projects from the wall, and rises to
the top of the parapet, but being no longer in use, the chimney which sur-
mounted it has been removed in modern times. At the north end of the
side walls of the upper hall, and close to the wall head, are two lengths of a
bold cornice in two projections, 8 feet in length, and overstanding the wall
surface 15 inches. They have the hollow moulding like other parts of the
building, and as the mouldings return into the wall at the south end, they
have not extended further in that direction. Their use was probably to
carry a platform for balistae or catapults, the north end of the building being
the most advantageous position for placing such engines of war. The chief
enti-ance to the lower hall was no doubt by a stair from the bailey, the
predecessor of the more recent stone steps ; but as all the doors and windows
THE TWO TOWERS. 235
in the main hall are modernized, no traces of it remain. There is a newel
stair the whole height of the building at the north-east angle of the T. It
there rises into a turret above the highest level of the surrounding walls, and
forms the crowning feature of the building. The staircase is entered by
doors on each floor, and is lighted by six loops facing the bailey. The ends
of the arms of the T where they project beyond the main building are each
occupied by a series of three rooms of small size. The rooms on the east
side have each a window, that of the middle room being of two lights, with
cusped heads, and a very flat segmental arch above. Those in the other two
rooms are of one light, with trefoiled head. The rooms to the west were of
less importance, and the window of the upper one is the only one visible, the
others being built up and hidden by the boards forming the face of the old
town clock, which still hang to the wall.
The roof is modern, of lead, and nearly flat. The ancient parapet has
been taken off the corbels which formed the machicolations, and re-set on
the top of the walls. The corbels, therefore, appear isolated as they do in
the gaol, and support nothing. They extend all round the main building
where it is not flanked by the projections forming the arms of the T, a corbel
standing out at each of the northern angles, in a similar position to those at
the four angles of the gaol. They occur again on the south wall in the
centre of its length, so that the whole of the main building was machicolated.
The portions projecting beyond the main building rise above the roof, where
they form guard chambers with doors from the roof level. The roofs of the
guard chambers and staircase turret are reached by straight flights of stone
steps of slight projection, intended only for the use of the garrison.
To assign to each portion of this interesting building its original use is
not a difficult matter. The vault on the ground floor was used for stores and
general purposes. The lower hall answered for the hall of justice, the dais
being at the south end. The hall above constituted the hall of the seneschal,
and the room to the east, with the two light window, would be his solar, the
dais again being at the south end. The other small rooms were for use as
retiring rooms and other purposes. The rooms in the turrets above the roof
were guard rooms and store places for arms and ammunition. The kitchen
and other offices were within the bailey, and have entirely disappeared since
its area has in modern times become densely covered with houses and is
intersected bv narrow lanes.
236 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Two objects of interest, formerly preserved in the gaol are worthy of
notice. One of these is an oak beam, which seems to have served as a mantel-
piece. It is 6 feet long by 9 inches high, and is covered with letters or
inscriptions. Various attempts to decipher the meaning of these inscriptions
have been made, but none of them can be considered altogether satisfactory.'
It is probable that they are the work of some of the prisoners in the tower, and
from the nature of the letters they are evidently of considerable antiquity.
The other is the so-called Fenwick salade, which is said to have been
worn by Colonel Fenwick at the battle of Marston Moor. A skull was
formerly shown along with the salade, which was said to be that of Colonel
Fenwick, and a hole in the skull exactly corresponded with the hole in the
helmet. Salades of this pattern, however, were not worn at the time of the
Commonwealth, but first came into use about the beginning of the fourteenth
century. It is not likely that Sir John Fenwick would have worn so old
fashioned a helmet, and probably neither the skull nor the salade are in any
way connected with him. The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle are in
possession of a helmet which is said to have belonged to Sir John Fenwick."
The oak beam is now at Dilston castle, and the salade is hung up in the
church at Hexham.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH.
The town of Hexham' is situated upon the south bank of the river Tyne,
a mile below the place where the streams of the north and south Tyne meet.
For a space of some 500 yards back from the river the land is low and flat,
but at that distance the ground rises abruptly to a height of about 170 feet
above the sea level, where it forms a shelf or terrace, beyond which the
ground again slopes upwards to a yet greater height. Upon this terrace
Hexham is built, a circumstance which has naturally determined the arrange-
ment of the town, so that when it is approached from the railway station
its three most prominent buildings, the square mass of the manor office,
the irregularly-shaped donjon of the Moot hall, and the grey weather-
beaten tower of the priory, stand out in a line against the sky in a way
which is very striking.
' Wriylit, History of Hexham, pp. 1 1 1-2 ; a leaflet issued by Mr. Ralph Carr of Hedgeley, headed ' The
Oak Lintel in the Manor Keep, He.xham.' - Proc. Soc. Ant. Newcastle, vi. p. 144.
'Census Returns: 1801, 3,427; 1811, 3,518; 1821, 4,116; 1831, 4,666; 1841, 4,742; 1851, 5,231;
1861, 5,270; 1871, 5,331 ; 18S1, 5,929; 1891, 5,945.
TO
<
X
o
o
<
X
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 237
The spot seems selected by nature to be the site of a town of some
importance. Roads from Newcastle, Shotley, Alston, Carlisle, Bellingham,
and Jedburgh meet at or near the place, and appear to mark it as a con-
venient situation for the centre of a large country district. Such considera-
tions probably determined the general position of the town, while the shelf or
terrace above referred to decided the original settlers to fix upon the exact
spot. Although not a position of great strength, for hills surround it on
three sides, yet it was strong enough to preserve its inhabitants from any
sudden attack or predatory incursion. Its strongest natural defences lav
on the sides from which the approach of an enemy might most probablv be
expected. The river Tyne, though fordable at several places, is sufficientlv
deep to impede the progress of an enemy, while the quicksands in its bed
made the passage dangerous for all who were not acquainted with the fords.
At flood time it was impossible to cross it. Even if it were successfullv
forded, the sharp acclivity upon which the town is built formed a second
line of defence no less strong than the first, while on the west the little
Cockshaw burn, running at the foot of the steep bank of the Sele, constituted
a barrier of no small strength.
But few prehistoric remains appear to have been found within a mile
and a half of Hexham. On the summit of Windmill hill are what appear
to be the remains of a small earthen rampart, possibly of British origin. In
1874 'I small urn of burnt clay was discovered at the foot of this hill. The
vessel is 5^ inches high and 6f inches in diameter,^ and it probably had
been interred with a body, the remains of which had disappeared through
decay.
The question whether or not Hexham is on the site of a Roman settlement
has not yet been finally decided.^ In the absence of any fresh evidence on
the subject, it is impossible to do more than to summarise results already
obtained.
The most striking fact in connection with this question is the large
number of Roman stones that have been found at Hexham. The crypt of
the priory church and the manor office are principally made up of them ;
great numbers are known to exist in the foundations of the church, while
' Now in the British Museum.
■ The late Dr. Bruce was a most earnest advocate of the Roman occupation of Hexham. See Ai-cli.
Ad. n.s. V. p. 146, ix. p. 164; The Roman Wall, pp. 343-6. The other side of the question is sustained by
Mr. Hodges, Hexham Abbey, pp. 2-4.
238 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Others have been found in various parts of the town. A few of these stones
bear inscriptions. One, of great historic interest, still remains in the crypt,
at the head of one of the passages. It reads thus :
IMP • CAES ■ L ■ SEP • s . . . . Imperator Caesar Lucius Septimius Severus
PERTiNAX ■ ET • IMP CA . . Pertinax et imperator Caesar
AVR • ANTONINVS Aurelius Antoninus
vs • ET • p us et Publius Septimius Geta
HORTES Caesar Cohortes et
VEXILLATIONM Vexillationes
F E c . . . N T • s V . . Fecerunt sub.
Another inscribed stone was noticed in the crypt by Stukeley and Gale
when they visited Hexham in 1725, but this has unfortunately disappeared.
In 1864, during the construction of a road between the marketplace and Battle
hill, two Roman altars were discovered, one of which bears the inscription :
A P o L L I N I Apollini
M A P O N o Mapono
— TERENTivs — Terentius
F • O V F — filius Oufentina tribu
FiRMVS • SAEN Firmus Saena
PRAEF • CASTR praefectus castrorum
LEG ■ VI . V • p ■ F legionis sextae victricis piae fidelis
D • D donuni dat
Some time later, the demolition of some buildings revealed the existence
of two other inscribed stones.' The legend on one was undecipherable, but
the other reads as follows :
IN ST ANTE Instante
FL • HYGIN Flavio Hygino
LEG • VI • V legionis sextae victricis ^
referring also, it will be observed, to the sixth legion.
But the most interesting of these discoveries came to light in 1881,
while some excavations were being made in the slype of the church. This is
a slab, about 9 feet in height by 3^^ feet in width, upon which is sculptured
the representation of a Roman cavalry soldier, bearing the ensign of his
troop, and riding over a naked foe who is crouching beneath. The inscrip-
tion upon this monumental stone reads as follows :
Dis ■ MANIBVS • FLAVINVS Dis manibus. Flavinus
EQ • ALAE ■ PETR ■ SIGNIFER eques alae Petrianae signifer
TVR • CANDIDI ■ AN • XXV turma Candidi, annorum xxv
STIP • VII • H • s. stipendiorum septem, hie sistus
This find, so interesting in itself, seemed to have gained an additional
' In the hbrary of the Dean and Chapter, at Durham.
" This stone is claimed by the historians of Northallerton as having come from that place. Eph. Epig. iii. 4S4.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH.
239
significance by the almost simultaneous discovery of a milestone on the
Roman wall, near Cawfields mile castle, bearing the inscription :
Imperalore Caesare Marco Aurclio
Severo Alcxandro
Pio felicc Augusto pontificc maximo tribunicia potestate
Consulc, patre patriae, curante Claudio Xenephonte.
Legato August! pro praetore.
A Petrianis milia pasuum XVIII.'
IMP • CAES • M • AVREL
SEVER • ALEXANDRO
PI'. FEL ■ AVG • P • M ■ TR ■ P
Cos ■ PP • CVR • C'' • XENEPHON
T E • LEG • AVG • PR • PR
[a • P e] T • M • P • X V 1 I I
The inscription was deciphered
by Dr. Bruce, and attempts were im-
mediately made to identify Petriana
with Hexham.' It was pointed out
that the milestone was found near,
though not actually on, the ' Stane
gate ' road. By this route, the
distance from Cawfields to Hexham
is almost exactly eighteen Roman
miles. The monument to Flavinus,
who belonged to the Petriana regi-
ment, seemed to decide the issue,
and it was contended that if Hexham
was not the site of Petriana, the
only alternative was Castlesteads, a
station to the west of the Cawfields
milestone. Unfortunately, it is by
no means certain that the last line of
the inscription on the milestone has
been correctly deciphered. Stones
referring to the Petriana regiment
have been found elsewhere.
Objections of all kinds have
been raised against the claims of
Hexham. No Roman road can be
traced to the town, for the ' Stane
gate ' referred to above strikes the
Roman Monument found in the slyi-e.
' This stone is now in the south transept of the church at Hexham. The inscriptions of these and
other stones at Hexham are given in the Corpus Iiiscnptioniim Latinarum, vii., Nos. 480-5, 1345, and
Ephemeris Epigraphica, iii., No. 484, vii., Nos. 995-7, 1 1 15.
- Mr. \V. T. Watkin in the Arch. Journal, xl. pp. 235-6.
240 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
North Tyne three and a half miles north-west of Hexham, and it is only
suggested that a cross road mav have connected the town with it. In
spite of the large number of Roman stones that have been found there,
none have been discovered in situ; no Roman pottery or coins have
ever been discovered there, so far as can be ascertained, and some earthen-
ware pipes dug up in the market place some years ago, though once con-
sidered to be of Roman workmanship, may now be confidently identified
with the pipes Wilfrid laid to carry water to the priory.'
The mere presence of Roman stones at Hexham is of itself no argument
that the place was once a Roman station. Even so late as the eighteenth
century builders sometimes preferred to bring squared stones from a dis-
tance rather than incur the trouble of quarr}^ing and squaring them. The
Hexham workmen in Saxon and more recent times may well have resorted to
this expedient, for in the large station of Corstopitum (Corbridge) they had
abundant material very near at hand. That the Roman stones found at
Hexham were brought there from Corbridge seems to be confirmed by a
discovery made in the summer of 1887. In the bed of the river below
Hexham, and on a spot pointed out by tradition as an ancient fording place,
were found three Roman stones. It would appear as if a cartload had been
accidentally overturned on its way from Corbridge to Hexham, and the
stones left in the stream, the workmen preferring to return for a new load
rather than incur the labour of raising and reloading them.
Whatever may have been the position of Hexham under the Romans, or
eai'lier, in Saxon times it undoubtedly became a verv flourishing town. All
the names by which the town has been known in historic times appear to
be of Saxon origin. The oldest name of the place seems to have been
Hagustald, which is thus given, with only very slight variations in the Anglo-
Saxon Chronicle^ and is also adopted by both Beda and Eddi in almost
precisely the same form, latinized. This is the name most usually employed
by Symeon, of Durham, though he also makes use of other forms, two of
which, Hestaldesige and Hehstealdesige,- are peculiar to himself. Symeon
also is the first to make use of the more modern name, He.xtildesham,
which he spells Hestaldesham or Extoldesham.^ Hagustald, however, is the
name used by Richard, John, and Aelred in the twelfth century, and it
is not until the following century that the word Hextildesham begins to be
' Supra, p. 106, note. '" Rolls series edition, ii. pp. 52, 59. " Ibid. pp. 114, igS.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 24 1
freely employed. This was the name that was destined to survive, and the
older word, Hagustald, dropped out of use. It is not until the fifteenth
century that the abbreviated foiin, Hexham, is met with, at least in
writing.
Of the origin of the word Hextildcsham ' and the other names of the
town, many and various opinions have been expressed. Prior Richard says
that it was derived from Hestild (Hcxtild or Hextold), the ancient name of
the Cockshaw burn.- Similarly the word Hagustald is said to have come
from Halgut, the ancient name of the Cowgarth burn, but even if true this
explanation only carries the difficulty one step further back. Much wider of
the mark was Camden's conjecture that the name was derived from the
Roman station Axelodunum, with which he endeavoured to identify the
tow'n. As the terminations -stadt or -ham present no difficulty, conjecture
has been principally employed on the first part of the words. Some have
attempted to derive these prefixes from the Saxon words hexia (highest) and
halig (holy). It has been suggested that the ancient name of Hagustald was
altered to Hextildcsham in the twelfth century in honour of Hextilda, the
wife of Richard Cumin, a liberal benefactor of the priory. As most names
of places ending in -ham and -ton are associated with proper names, it is
most probable that if the town is not called after an individual, it per-
petuates the name of some clan or family. None of these explanations is
altogether satisfactory, and each is open to one or more objections. Perhaps
the theory advanced last is the most plausible, though even this does not
explain why two or three diff"erent names should have been used simul-
taneously for the same place.
Prior Richard, writing in the twelfth centurv, states that though in
his day Hexham was a town of moderate note, and but sparselv inhabited,
yet the ruins which it contained bore witness that it had formerly been both
extensive and magnificent.'' It is unlikely that Wilfrid would have chosen
an insignificant place as the seat of his new bishopric, and the works which
he carried out there must have added greatlv to the importance of the
' On the origin of the names of the town sec llcsham Priorv, i, pp. S, 9: Wri,L;lu, Hulorv of Hexham,
pp. 9- II ; Bates, Nort/iiimht-riaini, p. (n.
■ It is curious that in speaking of the origin of tlie name of the town Prior Richard only refers to
Hcstoldesham, yet in every other part of his work he uses the more ancient form Hai^iistahl. Bk. i. cap. i.
' ' X'ilhi quaedam, nunc quidam modica, ct raro cuhore habitata, scd, ut antiquitatis vestigia testantur,
quondam ampla et magnifica.' Ibid.
Vol. III. 31
242
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
town. The privilege of sanctuary granted to the new church would attract
inhabitants to the town.' For a mile in every direction from the building
protection against violence was offered to all comers. The attraction
offered by such a privilege cannot be over-estimated, especially as Hexham
was one of the earliest places to receive it, and in that wild and exposed
country the protection
would only too frequently
be required. The limits
of sanctuary were marked
by stone crosses. Traces
of these are still in exis-
tence, though they are not
found at what one would
imagine to be the proper
distance from the church.
A considerable fragment
of one is still preserved
in the union workhouse,
about half a mile east of
the priory, a site known in Wright's time as the White Cross fields. At
the west end of the town the Maiden Cross fields probably preserve the
name and mark the site of the boundary on that side. On the north
the cross formerly stood in the river,' but all trace of any such monument on
the south side has long since disappeared.
The history of Hexham in Saxon times has already been given in the
account of the priory. Many important remains of that time have been
found in the town, but nearlv all of them are connected more or less inti-
mately with the church. A valuable discovery was made on the 15th of
October, 1S32, while digging a grave on the western side of the church-
yard, when a bronze vessel, shaped like a bucket, was met with. Its dimen-
sions are lof inches high, gf inches in diameter at the bottom, and y~
inches at the top. The vessel was filled with bronze coins known as stvcas,
' Hexham Priory, i. pp. 60, 61, note;' Wriglit, History of Hexham, pp. 16, 17. In 1292 this privilege
was called in question, but the archbishop pleaded immemorial usage, and, as usual, obtained a verdict in
his favour. Ibid. p. 145, note.
-■ The socket of a cross still exists on the Alnwick road, about zh miles from Hexham. It is said to be
the remains of the old sanctuary cross, which was moved to its present situation because in flood time it
was completely covered b)- the water when it stood on the north bank of the river. Ibid. p. 17.
The Fkithstool.
HISTORY OF THE HOROrCII. 243
Struck in the reit^ns of Eanivd, I'^tlKlrcd, Rediilf, Osbercht, and yKlla, kings
of Northumbria, and dnring the pontificates of Eanbald, VVigniund, and
Wulfherc, archbishops of York. The coins were about nine thousand in
number, and though they were at first dispersed through many hands, many
of them have found their way into the British Museum, while the Society of
Antiquaries of Newcastle possesses about a hundred well-selected specimens.'
It has been conjectured that the coins had been buried to preserve them
from the Danes, about the time of Halfdene's invasion in the year 875.
The story of the numerous raids upon Hexham and its neighbourhood
has been related in the preceding pages. The town and shire, as well as
the church, suffered from the common disaster. Dane and Norman alike
destroyed everything that could be destroyed, until, in the eleventh century,
the whole district had been almost completely depopulated. When Eilaf
Lareow went there in 1080, the land had ceased to be cultivated, and for
two years he was forced to support himself and his family by hunting. In the
passage quoted above, Prior Richard says that only ruins remained to testify
to the former importance of the place, while a story of Aelred tells us that the
population was so scanty in his day that one smith sufficed to supply its needs.'
When William the Conqueror harried the north he passed through
Hexham, and from the Tweed he again marched to that town (January,
107 1 ), though the purpose of his visit is unknown. Ordericus Vitalis, who
relates the event, describes the district as full of lofty hills and deep valleys,
which were watered by the snows. ^ In 1151 Hexham received another dis-
tinguished visitor in the person of Cardinal Paparone, who had landed at
Tynemouth with palls for four Scottish bishops. On his arrival at Tyne-
mouth the cardinal sent messengers to King David, asking for a safe
conduct, and proceeded himself to Hexham, whither the king's chancellor
had been sent to meet him. The cardinal, the chancellor, and an unnamed
Irish bishop were all hospitably entertained at the priory before pro-
ceeding on their several ways.'' It was not until 1202 that the town was
called upon to receive another royal visitor, in the person of King John.
The king returned again in 1208 and 1212,^ but on none of his visits was his
' Arch. Ad. 4(0 series, iii. pp. 77-1 1 1.
' De Sanctis, cap. ix. ' Faber, qui solus civitatis hujus incolis eo tempore artis suae bcneficio serviebat.'
' ' Mense Januario, rex Guiilelmus Haugustaldem revertebatur a Teisia, via quae hactenus exercitui
erat inlentata, qua crebro acutissima juga et vallium humillimae sedes cum vicinia serenitate verna
gaudet, nivibus compluuntur.' Ordericus Vitalis, lib. iv. sec. 4. Bates, Border Holds, p. 427.
* Symeon of Durham, Rolls series, ii. p. 326. * Hexham Priory, i. preface, pp. lxx\i. lxx\ii., ii. p. S9.
244 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
attention directed towards Hexham, as he came in the hope of linding buried
treasure at Corbridge ; a lew charters, chited at Hexham, alone bear witness
to John's visits.
The tliirteentli century seems to liave passed quietly and uneventfully
away at Hexham, but it was followed by an almost unexampled period of
invasion, slaughter, devastation, and consequent famine. In the year 1296,
the Scots began a long series of attacks upon the north of England, and
these incursions lasted, with very slight interruptions, until the year 1314.
Hexham suffered more than almost any place in the country. It was
repeatedly burnt, its sacred buildings desecrated, and its inhabitants ruth-
lessly slaughtered or driven off to slavery. When the Scots had gone, the
royal armies that came to oppose them entered the district, and demanded
contributions from the inhabitants for the expenses of the campaign. In this
way the miseries of the population were prolonged beyond the period of
invasion. Indeed, the people of Hexham had not even seen the last of
invasion itself. In 1346 the Scots were once more in Northumberland, and
King David spent three days in the town, where he is said to have mustered
his troops in the church. As he intended to use Hexham as a victualling
place, together with Corbridge, Durham, and Darlington, he gave orders that
it should be spared by the soldiers. The influence of the king, however, did
not prevent the priory from being sacked and fired, and no doubt many
private persons suffered as well as the religious foundation.^ The battle of
Neville's Cross, which took place soon after, finally relieved Hexham from
the invaders.
In 135 1 it was proposed that Edward, king of England, and Edward
Balliol, king of vScotland, should meet at Hexham, at the festival of Easter,
to discuss cpiestions relating to the kingdoms of England and Scotland.
King Edward issued a proclamation to his sheriffs and officers that Balliol
and his followers were to have safe conduct to and from the town.' It is
' Laneirost Citron, p. 346.
'" ' Rex unlversis et singulis vicecomitibus, majoribus ballivis ministris, etc., tarn infra libertates quam
extra, etc, salutem. Sciatis quod cum inter quosdam fidfles nostros ex parte nostra apud Hextildesham,
in proximo post festum Paschae proximo futurum, et quosdam alios de Scotia super aliquibus regna
Angliae et Scotie specialiter tangentibus, sit Iractandum, ac dilcctus consanguineus et fidelis noster,
magnificus princeps, Eduardus Rex Scotiae, ad dictam viUam de Hextildesham, ex dicta causa ut
accepimus sit venturus. Nos volentcs sccuritati ipsius regni et suorum, si ad dictum tractatum venire
voluerint, providere suscepimus ipsum regem, homines, equos, etc., veniendo apud eandem villam de
Hextildesham, ibidem morando et exinde rcdeundo, in protectionem et defensionem nostram specialem,
nccnon in salvuni et sccurum conductum nostrum, etc' Rymer (Recqrd edit.), III. i. 215.
HISTORY OF THK nOKOlKlU. 245
doubtful if the interview ever took place, but it is at least a tribute to the
importance of Hexham as a IJorder town, that it should have been selected
as the meeting place of the two sovereigns.
After this event, nothing is known of the history of Ilcxhaui for nearly
120 years. When it is next nuutioned, we have passed irdui llic prosperous
and victorious reign of Kdward III. to the troubled and lawless lime of the
Wars of the Roses. The so-called battle of Hexham took place about two
miles from the town, and not in the parish of Hexham, the actual scene of
fight being on the right bank of the Devil's Water. However, the battle
took place sufficiently near to Hexham to cause a considerable stir in the
town, and when the fight was over the victorious Yorkists entered its gates
in triumph. Almost immediately afterwards, on the 15th of May, 1464, the
duke of Somerset, the foremost of the Lancastrian prisoners, was beheaded,
and on the same day the inhabitants of Hexham also witnessed the execution
of four of the duke's partisans. Sir Edmund Fitzhugh, knight, Bradshaw,
Walter Hunt, and Black Jack.'
Although the accession of the house of Tudor restored tranquility
to the greater part of the kingdom, Hexhamshire remained in a state of
disorder, of which the borough was the centre. At the beginning of the
sixteenth century the town on market days was not a safe place of resort.
Thieves robbed people there in the light of day, and though their
proceedings were perfectly open, yet no one dared to protest against them.'
Border raids and forays were still frequent, and in November, 1527, a band
of outlaws, one hundred in number, among whom were several members of
the Fenwick, Shaftoe, and Ogle clans, descended upon Hexham, and
carried off twenty-four prisoners, tenants of the king.'^ During the rebellion
known as the Pilgrimage of Grace, Hexham was the centre of disaffection i'n
the north, and it was in the priory that Sir Thomas Percy is said to have
summoned the men of Tynedale to his side.* Even before the dissolution of
the monasteries the government had felt ill assured of the feelings of the
men of the franchises, and dreaded lest their religious sympathies should
' ' Quinto decimo die mciisis Mali apud Exliani decapitati sunt Dux Somersett, Edmundus Fitzliu,
miles, Bradshaw, Wauter Hunt, ISIack Jakes.' Three Fifteenth Century Clironules, Camden Soc., p. 179.
It seems doubtful, however, whether the hist four were reahy beheaded at Hexham, as another chronicle
of the same period states that '.Sir Edniond Fyssh, knyght, Bradshawe, Kawljne Honte, and Blacke
Jackett were beheded at Yorke the xv day of May.' Rymer (Record edit.), III. i. p. 79.
■ See the letter of the bishop of Carlisle, supra, p. 47.
' Cat. Stale Papers, Henry \'III. ed. Brewer, iv. No. 3552. ' Supra, p. 52.
246 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
triunii)li over their hn-altv. On Si'ptenihcr 15th, 1535, the chike of Norfolk
wrote to the kiiii; informing liini that he had been to Hexham, accompanied
bv ' the most substantial persons of Northumberland,' and had there taken
bonds of all the headsmen of Tynedale for the delivery of ollenders.* He
hoped, no doubt, that by this means he had secured the pacilication of the
district. The events of the succeeding months proved how far he had
miscalculated.
A similar attempt to ensure the cpiiet of the district seems to have been
made soon after the Pilgrimage of Grace had been suppressed. In 1537, Sir
Cuthbert RadclifTe of Dilston was at Hexham, and took oaths of allegiance
from the 'spoilers' of Tynedale. Edward and Cuthbert Charlton were
among those who submitted, though they did so, apparently, with a bad
grace. The former, however, offered to leave his son Edward, a bov only
thirteen years of age, behind him as a hostage." The inhabitants of Tyne-
dale, objecting to their oppressors escaping thus easily, sent to Sir Cuthbert
Radclifie protesting against what had been done. At this juncture the out-
laws seem to have played into the hands of their enemies, for when Sir
Cuthbert Radcliflfe, Leonard Dacre, and others who were charged with the
government of Tynedale, met at Hexham in 1538, it was discovered that
many of the 'spoilers' had refused to submit, and bills were accordingly filed
against them.^
It may be inferred from what has been above related that, during the
sixteenth century at least, Hexham was regarded, not only as the chief town
in the regality of Hexhamshire, but as the centre of a large district, which
included Tynedale ;* in fact, it was practically the capital of the whole of
south-west Northumberland. In 1552, indeed, John Dudley, duke of
Northumberland, appears to have thought the town a suitable place for
the headquarters of the lord warden of the Middle Marches. A closer
examination, however, convinced him that Hexham was not adapted for
such a purpose, as it contained no sufficient residence, and no ordnance ' for
the repression of rebels ' could be kept there ; and accordingly Alnwick was
selected as the more suitable and convenient place.^
' Cal. State Piipers, Henry Vill. ed. Gairdner, ix. No. 371. ■ Ibiti. xii. pt. ii. No. 2S0.
' Ibid. xiii. pt. i. No. 635.
* Hexham was the market town of South Tynedale, as well as of Hexhamshire.
"• Cat. Stiitc Papers, addenda, Edward VI. iv. No. 8. Letter of the duke of Northumberland to his
son-in-law, Sir Henry Sidney.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 247
Seven vears later, Henry Percy, the seventh earl of Northumberland,
came to a different conclusion on this subject. In 1559 he was desirous that
his brother-in-law, Slins^sbv, who had been appointed keeper of Tynedale,
should live at Hexham, in the residence that had been formed out of the
old priory buildings by Sir Reynold Carnaby. This house, known as the
'Abbey,' was by far the most commodious in the town ; but it was already in
the occupation of Sir Reynold's widow, Ladv Dorothy Carnaby, who was
living there with one of her daughters. The earl none the less persisted in
his demand, and was so far fortunate that he obtained a letter from Queen
Elizabeth reqnesting Lady Carnaby to give up her house in favour of
Mr. Slingsby. This request, in spite of the source from whence it came,
was immediately refused by Lady Carnaby, who owned no other suitable
residence besides the 'Abbey,' and who did not wish to be put to the in-
convenience of entertaining a stranger and all the following the keeper of
Tynedale would necessarily bring with him. Fortunately for her she found
a ready and efficient supporter in Sir Ralph Sadler, to whom the queen's
letter of request had been originally directed. The earl of Northumberland
was a Roman Catholic, and being suspected of favouring the claims of Mary,
Queen of Scots, was viewed with disfavour at court. Sadler, on the other
hand, was a warm friend and faithful servant of the government, and he may
have been glad of the opportunity of entering upon a struggle with the chief
of the Percies, when everything seemed to promise him the ultimate victory.
Whatever circumstances may have induced Sadler to take up Ladv Carnabv's
cause, he espoused it with zeal, and was speedily engaged in a voluminous
and lively correspondence with the earl. As this interchange of letters did
not appear to advance the matter very much, he finally wrote to Cecil
detailing the circumstances of the case from his own standpoint and asking
for a decision upon the matter :
Sir Ralph Sadler to Mr. Secretary Cecil.
Sir, Amongst my Icttres and instructions whichc I receyved fiom yoti by Mr. Raylton after my
departure from the courte, there was one lettre addressed from the queues majestie to the Lady Carnabie,
and by myn instructions I perceyved that it was to borowe her house at Hexham for the keper of
Tyndale, and that I might use my discrcssion therein as I shoulde see cause. If I had then conferred
with you uppon the s.anie, I coulde lia\e declared unto you that Hexham is no apte ne mete place for the
service of the keper of Tyndale. Nor in my tyme I am sure there nc\cr lay any such in Hexham
saveing only Sir Kcynolde Carnaby, who had lever lye in his owne house, though it were not the metest
place for the service, then seke any others. lUit undoubtedly the most apte and convenyent placis for
that purpose on all the frontiers are Haughton, Langley, or Chipchacc, in one of which iij placis men of
service have ahvayes been placed, and specially for the well executing of that office of Tyndale. Never-
248 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
thcless, I have lerned syns my comyng hither, that Mr. .Slingsljle, brother to my lord of Northumberland
by maryage of his sister, being keper of Tyndale, and by all lykelihood seking rather his own ease and
commodyte then the service of the qiienes m.ijeslie, and the stay and quyetness of the countrey, hath a
grct dcsyre to lye in Hcxliam, wher indede he hath lyen for the most parte this xij moneth, ever syns he
had ihoffice, in a hous, which, if he woll neds lye in Hexham, may serve him as well now as it hathe don
before; and if he be wery of that house, yet is there in Hexham ij towers of the queues majesties, which,
as I am credibly informed, with thexpens of xx" to make a litlc rcparacion, woll serve as good a man as
Mr. Slingsbie is; but for his more ease and comodyte, he must neds have my ladie Carnabie's house,
because it is the fayrest house in the tovvnc ; and well he can be content that she, being a powre wydowe,
and her daughter also a pourc wydowe, and one of the heyres of the house, having none other i)lace to
bestowc themselffs in and thcyr famylye, shouldc sckc a new dwelling to give place to him, his wyf, and
his famylie, as you know it is reason, and all uppon pretence that it is for the better service of the queues
majestic, which I assure you is mere contrary. In this matier my lord of Northumberland is very ernest
for his saide brother, and hath wrytten therein to my Ladie Carnabye in suchc sorle, as when I compare
the queues majesties lettres and his togither, being bothe wrytten to the said lady for one matier, I fynde
a grete difference betwixt them ; thone conteyning a gcntill request to her that she woll condescende to
let the keper of Tyndale have the use of her house for the better discharge of his office, the same being
mete for the purpose ; thother conteyning an imperious commandeuient and straight charge, uppon
payne of contempt and disobedyence, that she woll suffer the saide keper to be placed in her house for
the better service as is aforesaide. As though his auctoryle did cxtende so farre as he may do wrong to
whom he lysteth. I spcke not this uppon informacion ; for I have his lettres to shew, the lyke whereof I
have not sene wrytten in such a case by any subject. The poure gentilwoman, that cannot spare her
house because she hath no mo, hath had moche ado to kepe it from my lord and his brother. And
therefore when I had well understood the matier, I wrote my poure mynde to my lord thereon, and in the
same declared to him what commission I had, with also myn opynyon toching thaptenes of the place, and
desyred that it might please his lord to stay in it till I might speke with him. Whereuppon, he
perceyving that I lyked not his proceedings therein, and that I semed to be against his opynyon for the
convenyence of the place, he wrote to me very ernestly agayn, amongst other things, that he wolde not
here such contempt and dispite as was offered unto him in that parte by the Lady Carnaby and her
frends, whills the auctoritie was in his hande, with other fond matier, which is not worth the rehersall.
And now I here say that he intendeth to sende up his saide brother Slingsbie, or som other, eyther to
complayne, wherein I think he woll make some untrew suggestion, or ells to make menes and sute to the
lordes of the counsaile to disturbe the poure gentilwoman in her house, I assure you, without any good
grounde, or cause reasonable. Wherefore I have thought mete to advertise you of that I know therein,
.^nd if any complaynt or sute be made there by the said Slingsby, or any other, if it may please you to
retourne the matier hither by commission or lettres direct to therle of Northumberland, .Sir James Croft,
and me, or such others as you shall thinke mete, giving charge unto them to exaniyn the circumstances
of it, and to call before them the most experte and wise gentlemen of the countrey, and by them to lerne,
which be the most mete placis for the service of the keper of Tyndale ; then shall you know- whether the
saide keper scke my Lady Carnabye's house for his own commodyte, or for the well executing of his
office. Att the least, I make a certen accompte that you woll not give credite to thone partie till you
have harde thother.'
The earl of Northumberland seems to have followed Sadler's example,
for he also wrote a letter to the council explaining his side of the ciuestion.
After a verv short deliberation (Sir Ralph Sadler wrote on the 12th of
September, 1559, and the answer was dated the 25th of the same month), the
lords of the council replied as follows :
' Sadler State Papers, i. 441.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 249
The lordes of the counsail to therle of Northumberland and Sir Rafe Sadler.
After oiH' very hartie commendacions to your good lordsliipe. We have resayvd your lettres of the
fourte of this present, and hard suche instructions as you sent by Mr. Slingsbie, your brother-in-lawe, for
answere whcrcunto you shall understand as foUowith : first, wher your lordship wrytcth that the Lady
Carnabie hath refused the livyng of hyr house at Hexham to the keper of Tyndale, notwithstanding the
quenis majesties lettres addressyd unto hyr, and your lordships perswaysons; we havyng sythens con-
sydered both how farre hyr house is from thenymie, and the frountiers, and thereby the more unmete to
serve for thys purpose; and also that she, beyng a widow, and havyng hyr daughter, also a widowe, with
hyr, cannot convcnycntly, for sundrye respectes, spare any parte of hyr howse, do wysse that your lordship
had fownd owte some more fytter place for the sayd offycer, consydering that the same myght have bene
done withoute offence or hurt to others, and serve to as good or better purpose then we persave the howse
of the Lady Carnabie can do ; and yett, nevertheles, for that your lordship hayth already enterryd into thys
matter, and therfor your credyt, as well in respecte of your owne estate as of thauctoryte of your offycer
under the quenis majestie, is to be maynteynd, we have thought good that your lordships former resolu-
cyon for the placyng of the keper of Tyndale ther, shall take effecte in thys sorte ; that he shall remayne
there xiiij or xx dayes at the most, exceptyd the sayd Lady Carnabie can be enduced to agre to hys abode
ther for longer tyme ; and at thend of the sayd xiiij or xx dayes, yf she shall not otherwyse agre, to be
removed from thens to some other place, and that to be done with your behalf, or your said brothers, in a
kynde of gratyfiend the sayd lady. And because the sayd offycer of Tyndale shuld not in thys sorte
contynew destytute of a convenyent place of abode, nor the quenis majestie thus drevyn for theyr servyse,
to borow the bowses of others, we pray your lordship, and you, Mr. Sadler, that takyng the advysses of
some discrete persones of that countre, ye wyll consyder whether therbe any fytte place of the quenis
majesties ther, that may, with some cost, be mayd mete for that purpose, or yf any others have ther any
such howses, as hyr majestie may compownde with them for the same, either by purchase or exchange.
And here we have thought mete to put you in remembrance of Tarsett hall, belonging to the Lord
Bowrows, and Hawgston, belonging to Sir John Wetheryngton, beyng thought mete places to serve thys
torne, w-hyche we pray you to consyder, and to syngnifie your opynions unto us touchinge the same, or
touchinge any other that shalbe thought more mete, either by your lettres or at the coming up of you
therle, etc. From Hampton court, the 25 September, 1559.'
Although the council had apparently arranged a compromise, success
rested with Sir Ralph Sadler and Lady Carnaby, whose proceedings had been
completely justified throughout. No one felt this so keenly as Slingsby,
who almost immediately resigned his office of keeper of Tynedale. The
earl himself only held his office of lord warden of the Middle Marches for a
few months longer, and in the following year he tendered his resignation."
Nine years after these events Hexham became, for a short time, the
centre of an important struggle. The dissatisfaction with which the earls of
Northumberland and Westmorland viewed the proceedings of the Protestant
government of Elizabeth, and more especially the treatment of Mary, Queen
of Scots, induced them, in 1569, to break out into open revolt. After having
gained unexpected successes at the outset of their undertaking, they most
unwisely abandoned an actively offensive attitude, and awaited the attack of
the enemy. This inaction not only gave the government time to collect its
' Sadler State Papt-rs, i. 489. " Fonblanquc, Annals of the House of Perey, ii. p. 13.
Vol. III. " 32
250 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
forces, but also discouraged the more ardent and enterprising among the
rebels, many of whom, declining to associate themselves any longer with a
movement which they perceived was foredoomed to failure, returned to
their homes.
In the meantime the earl of Sussex and Sir Ralph Sadler, having
collected a considerable force in the Midlands, were marching northwards to
meet the earls and their forces, while Sir John Forster, the lord warden of
the Middle Marches, displayed great activity, and threatened to cut off the
rebels from their base of operations. On the 8th of December Forster
came to Hexham, and assembling a force of a thousand horse from the men
residing in his wardenrv, withdrew to Newcastle.' A few davs after his
departure the earls entered Hexham. Owing to their fatal inaction during
the preceding month retreat had become imperative, and Hexham was only
a halting place in their march towards Alnwick, where they hoped to make
their final resistance. They had only a small number of horse, for their
infantry had dispersed or been dismissed, but at Hexham they were joined by
some fresh recruits, and this circumstance probablv induced them to remain
in the town longer than they would otherwise have done. During this short
respite the countess of Northumberland hid the greater part of the Percy
plate in the neighbourhood of the town."
It was not long before dangers began to gather round the fugitives. On
Sunday, the i8th of December, the royal forces under the earl of Sussex
and Sir Ralph Sadler reached Durham, and the earl of Sussex wrote to Cecil
that he intended to press on to Hexham before sunrise on the next dav, to
meet the enemv, adding, ' I will remove them of ther lodgyng or make them
paye derly for it, and so wyll followe ther fotesteppes, whersoever they flye,
over hylles, wastes, or waters, untell I have ether geven them the overthrow
or put them owte of the realme.'' At the same time Sir John Forster was
hanging on the rear of the rebels, and threatened to obstruct their march
northwards. But in spite of these difficulties the earls resolved to set out
from Hexham at once, and on the same Sunday that the royalist forces
reached Durham they left the town with 1,500 men, intending to push on to
Alnwick. They had not marched more than six miles before their scouts
' Cal. State Papers, Domestic, Elizabeth, addenda, xv. loi. Letter of Sir Valentine Brown to the
council. " Ibid. xxi. 63, sec. 10. Examination of the earl of Northumberland, June 24th, 1572.
' Cal. Staii Papers, Domestic, Elizabeth, addenda, xv. 109.
HISTORY OF THE I50ROUGH. 25 1
fell in with those of Sir John Forster, and after a brisk skirmish the earls
decided to retreat to Hexham. The next day, however, they made another
attempt to leave the town, and this time they seem to have escaped
unmolested by the lord warden. Sussex, with his 1,500 men, instead of
pushing on to Hexham as he had proposed, marched, on Monday the 19th,
to Newcastle, apparently with the intention of intercepting the retreat of the
rebels upon Alnwick. When he reached Newcastle, however, he received
the news of Sir John Forster's success on the previous day. He was thus
assured of the presence of a royalist force on the flank of the retreating
army, and, returning to his original plan, he proceeded on the following day
(Tuesday, the 20th) to Hexham, which the rebel forces had only recently
evacuated. The royal army resolved to abandon the pursuit for the
moment, and to remain in the town for a few days. The winter was one of
unusual severity, and both men and horses had suffered severely from the
previous forced marches. It was felt moreover that the enemy must sooner
or later fall an easy prey into their hands. The turn of events was even
better than they had anticipated. Sir John Forster entered Alnwidk and
captured the castle before the rebels could get there. Nothing, therefore,
remained for the earls but to disband their forces and flee into Scotland.
The rebellion of 1569 was virtually at an end.
Retribution followed swiftly on the track of the offenders. Sir John
Forster was appointed to carry out the execution of rebels in Bywell lord-
ship, Hexhamshire, and Northumberland. He reached Hexham on the 31st
of December, 1569,^ but it is uncertain how long he remained there, or how
many persons suffered for their treason.
The rebellion had not been entirely stamped out even at that time.
Leonard Dacre, who had been a lukewarm partisan when the rebellion was
at its height, had openly declared his hostility to the government now that
the earls were helpless fugitives. Throwing himself into Naworth castle
with an army of 3,000 men, he for some time bade defiance to the royal
forces. In February, 1570, Lord Hunsdon was sent from Berwick to attack
him, and on the i8th of the same month the royal forces halted at Hexham on
their way to Naworth. On the following morning the march was continued,
and the same day witnessed the complete rout of the rebels. Dacre fled in
haste to Liddesdale, while Lord Hunsdon took possession of Naworth.'
' Sharpe, Memorials 0/ Hit: RebMioiiof 1569, pp. 126, 187. •' Ibid. pp. 218, 219.
252 HEIXHAM BOROUGH.
The history of Hexham, though usually a blank in times of peace,
became eventful whenever a war or a rebellion chanced to break out.
Although there was a long interval of apparent quiet after the rebellion of
1569, the defence of the town became a matter for serious consideration
in 1639, when the quarrel between King Charles I. and his Scottish
subjects threatened to develop into civil war. It was anticipated that the
Scots would invade the country, and the government was anxious, if possible,
to prevent them from crossing the Tyne. The greatest care was therefore
taken to see that the bridges and fords of that river should be well guarded.
On the 1st of January, 1640, Captain Charles Lloyd was at Hexham, where
he inspected the town and its fortifications. The same day he drew up a
report and sent it to secretary Windebank. Its tenour is as follows :
I have followed your command. I inspected Hexham, which, in regard of its circuit, will be equal to
Berwick, and being overlooked by hills, and lying half a mile from the water, which is fordable almost at
any time, I think it not worth the charge [of fortifying] ; besides, it stands in a place where no carriages
can come or go to the borders. There are two towers, defensible enough, on the south side, overlooking
the town and river, in which 150 musketeers might be placed to defend the town from incursions, for an
army cannot march that way without great difficulty; but ordnance I w^ould not trust in them.'
Captain Lloyd was soon followed by another officer who came on a
similar errand. About a month later Sir Michael Ernie came to Hexham to
inspect the fortifications, and wrote advising the government to put a small
garrison in the town for the purpose of guarding the ford over the Tyne :
We conceive that 100 men at the least were very necessar)- at Hexham, and 1 suppose that one
company of the dragoons, which I conceive to be now in the king's pay, may supply that place ; two
squadrons of the company may be in the bigger tower, and the third in the lesser, and if it be not con-
venient that one particular company should remain constantly there, they may be relieved as their
commander in chief shall think fit."
Windebank replied that Ernie and Lloyd should consult together as to
the best means of placing a garrison of 150 men in Hexham,' and sub-
sequently the king suggested that the town should be additionally fortified
with a slight musket-proof breastwork.^ Ernie and Lloyd appear to have
ultimately agreed to send a troop of horse under Sir John Fenwick to
garrison the town. This force, however, did not even consist of 150 men,
the number originally selected, for by a return made in August of the same
year. Sir John Fenwick stated that he had with him no more than 10 officers
and 60 horsemen.''
' Cal. StiiU- Papers, Domestic, Charles I. ccccxli. 3. '' Ibid, ccccxliii. 19. ^ Ibid, cccc.vlii. 52.
' Ibid, ccccxliv. 25. ' Ibid, cccclxiii. 42.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 253
In August, 1640, the impression that the revolted Scots would attempt
to cross the Tyne at Hexham seems to have been widely current. Lord
Conyers, in a letter to Lord Conway, expresses his belief that they will do
so,' and the latter, writing before he could have received Lord Conyers'
letter, suggests to Sir Henry Vane the advisability of massing the whole of
the English cavalry at Hexham, as it was important that the advance of the
Scots should be arrested at the river Tyne.^ All these conjectures, how-
ever, proved fallacious ; as is well known, the battle which actually took
place between the royal forces and the rebels was fought at Newburn,
where the Scots effected a crossing.
During the civil wars Hexham does not appear to have suffered to any
appreciable extent. The Borough Books and other records show that the
government of the town and its business were being carried on as they
formerly had been. Yet the town did not altogether escape unharmed in
the struggle.
Early in 1644 a party of Royalist cavalry were stationed at Hexham,
under Sir Marmaduke Langdale. On February 19th Langdale attacked the
Parliamentary forces quartered near Corbridge. After a brisk engagement
the Roundheads drew off, leaving their adversaries in possession of the
field. Major Agnew, of the Parliamentary army, was taken prisoner in
this encounter, and carried off to Hexham, where he was lodged in the
Abbey, and courteously entertained by Col. Fenwick, the owner. The
even balance between the opposing armies in this district was disturbed on
February 23rd, when the Scotch army reached the Tyne, and took up its
quarters along the riverside between Ovingham and Corbridge. Before
these superior forces the Royalists retired, leaving Major Agnew behind as
a safeguard to the house of Colonel Fenwick.' The Scots remained for
some time on the banks of the Tyne, and Hexham, amongst other places,
was called upon to contribute towards their support. Accounts exist of
assessments taken at Hexham for this purpose on the 17th of March, and
the 20th of August.
' Ciil. Sltilc Papers, Domestic, Charles I. cccclxiv. 90.
■ Ibid. 84. Both letters are dated 24th August, 1640.
' Cal. State Papers, Domestic, 1644, vol. di. No. 13. Tanner MSS. Ixiv. 570. Proceedings of the Scottish
Army, 21st March, 1644 (Richardson Reprints).
254 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
An accompt of the constables given in to burrow jury at the head court holden at Hexham
on the 8th October, 1644.'
L s. d.
An assessment laid on the 17th March, 164I, of ^11, whereof received ... ... ... 678
Markett Steed ward: And disbursed to Jn. Salmon, 15s. 6d.; Wm. Thompson, 14s. lod.;
William Smith, thelder, 47s. 4d. ; Tho. Fenwicke, 20s.; Wm. Johnson, los. ; Robert
Hutchinson, 20s.; concerning their several! horses the said sume of ... ... 678
Remains unpaide of the aforesaid assessment: In the hands of John Carr, 4s.; Wm. Todd,
5s. 4d.; Howgh Sparke, i6d.; Tho. Gibson, thelder, 2s. 8d.; Tho. Gibson, jun., 2s. 8d.;
Rob. Fenwick, los.; John Hutchinson, 8d.; Jn. Younger, 2s.; Tho. Browne, 2s.; Geo.
Hutchinson, i6d.; Wm. Heslopp, 20s.; Elsa Heron, 8s.; Wm. Gibson, 8s. 6d.; Tho.
Elwood, 2s. Sd. ; Edw. Terry, 6s.; Jane Parker, 2s. 8d.; Arth. Hobkirke, 2s. ; Mary
Robson, 2s.; in all ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 12 o
An assessment laid on ye 20th of August, 1644, of ... ... ... ... ... 5 lo o
Concerning horses for Col. Welden.
Whereof received and disbursed to my sesse for one horse, iii" vi' viii''; for a bridle, criple,
and garth, xiiii'' ; to James Olliver, xv"; to Wm. Rowland, ix' ix''; in all ... ... 520
Remains unpaid of the said assessment: In the hands of Jn. Carr, ii"; Tho. Browne, i" ;
Chas. Armestrong, viii''; Nich. Currey, viii''; Richard Drowey, vi'' ; Jane Parker, i';
Arch. Hobkirke, i'; Gilbert Thompson, ii" vi'' ... ... ... ... ... 080
Also disbursed by me for and on the behalfe of the said towne of Hexham to ye English and
Scottish army in severall particulers, as by my note appeareth over and beside my
receits and disbursements aforesaid ... ... ... ... ... ... 370
Matthew ffarllam (constable).
Then follow similar assessments for each of the other wards.
Moreover the aforesaid constables doe stand engaged unto severall persons within the towne
of Hexham for a meddow close, iiii" ; for flesh, bread, and beare, sent unto the Scottish
army at Corbridge on the behalfe of the said towne the sume of iiii" xvi'; in all ... 8 16 o
The accounts of the remaining three wards of the borough, Hencotes,
Priestpopple, and Gilligate, are so much torn that it is impossible to repro-
duce them. From the fragments which still remain it is clear that these
assessments were much the same as those for the Market steed ward given
above, with the e.xception, of course, of the names of the contributors.
An interesting account of Hexham in the seventeenth century is given
by 'three Norwich soldiers' who visited the town in 1634:
And now when wee had thought that dangers were pass'd, wee met a gulfe too, at the entrance unto
Hexam over the rapid ri\er Tyne, where, for want of a boat or bridge, we were enforc'd in the vale of
night to passe a swift, deepe streame, over high great stumbling stones, in such danger both to o' horse
and to o' selves, as we had not fortuneately happen'd on a guide that knew the foording place well, we
had there ended o'' travells.
Well, over we got in safety, thanks to o' guide, and although wee found this towne but small and the
inhabitants poore, yet was there in it two fayre towers, W'' were built as well there as in other places of
these wild countryes, to defend them against the Scots. Sure this towne hath beene of greater note and
receipt, for in her is a large cathedral like church, much defac'd and decay'd, and now unseamly kept.
Here in this place there sometimes rested the bones of St. Cuthbert, brought hither from Holy Island,
' Hixham Manor Rulls, Borough Book, 1 644.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 255
neere Berwickc, and where sat six bishops in succession before the translation of the sayd saint's bones to
Durham. In this church there are some old monuments of note, one of a duke that was slaine in a battell
against the Scotts. Neere adjoining to it is a fayre and handsome abbey, wherein hveth a noble knight
(Sir John Fenwicke), that giveth free entertainment. And to say something of o'^ innc, wee were as well
accomodated w"' cheape and good fare, sweet lodging, and kind usages, as travellers would desire.'
During the short struggle of 1648, known as the second civil war,
Hexham was temporarily occupied by the Parliamentary forces on their way
to attack the Royalists. The stay of the troops was short, and they soon
after proceeded by Chollerford northwards to meet the foe.
After the Restoration Hexham suffered from an experience hardly less
terrible than that of war. The Borough Book of 1663 refers to fires which
devastated whole streets, and through which many families were utterly
ruined.^ The reference is vague, and unfortunately there exists no record of
any particular fire, nor is there any information as to the exact extent of the
damage done. The Session Book of the parish of Hutton, in Berwickshire,
contains a curious record bearing upon this subject under the date February
22nd, 1663. The entry runs thus: 'Given to ane Walter Drummond, who
had great losses by burning at Hexim, I2sh.'^ The recurrence of the date
1663 probably fixes the time about which the most destructive of these fires
took place. The disaster was attributed to the careless use of bakehouses or
malt kilns, and the borough jury issued orders for the better regulation of
these places in the future.
As might be expected, the rebellion of 1715 brought Hexham once
more into prominence. The Jacobite movement of that year was started
in Northumberland by Thomas Forster, one of the representatives of the
county, who persuaded the earl of Derwentwater, and several of the country
gentlemen to join him. Their force, which soon grew to a considerable
size, assembled at Morpeth, whence they proposed to make a descent upon
Newcastle. This scheme, however, was not carried out, and the rebels
marched instead to Hexham, where they had a great number of friends, and
from which they hoped thev might, with better advantage make an attempt
to capture Newcastle. While at Hexhain they were joined by a party of
Scotch horse, and it was confidently expected that Sir William Blackett
' A Relation of a Short Survey of 26 Counties in 1634.
' 'There hath most lamentable and sad experience happened to many inhabitants of this town by that
fearefull judgement of fire, diverse tymes to the utter ruine and undoemg of many famillies ; and to the
devastating of whole streets with all tlieire goods and subsistance.' Hexham Munor Rolls, Borough Book,
1663. ^ Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, 1873-75, p. 224.
256 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
would also join them. But the cautious baronet was being closelv watched
to Wallington by the sheriff's officers, and perhaps his prudence overcame
any desire he may have had of rising against the government.
Although they had not received all the support they expected, the
rebels would probably have marched upon Newcastle at once had they not
been informed that owing to the energy and vigilance of the magistrates the
town was in a condition to defend itself. They therefore employed them-
selves by seizing all the arms and horses that they could find in Hexham,
especially such as belonged to good subjects of King George. The curate
having declined to read prayers in the name of James III., this office was
performed by Mr. Buxton, the chaplain of Mr. Forster's troop. At last the
news arrived that a body of Scottish troops had reached Rothbury. On the
night of October the i8th the rebels assembled in the market place, and
there proclaimed the Pretender as King James III., fixing the proclamation
to the market cross. On the following day they left the town to join their
friends at Rothbury. For several days after their departure the proclama-
tion remained untouched, a circumstance that was attributed to the fact that
the bailiff and clerk, as well as the lord of the manor, were Jacobites in their
sympathies.^
No army again approached Hexham during the few weeks that the
rebellion lasted. No sooner was it crushed, however, than a number of
informers were ready to bear testimony against those who had shown any
sympathy with the movement. For the next few years the records of the
Quarter Sessions are full of such accusations, which are, for the most part,
of a very triffing character. One example will suffice to show their nature :
Informacion of Thomas Leadbitter of Hexham. Saith that on or about the 22nd day of October
instant he, this informant, heard Benjamin Cook, a reputed papist, say 'Away with Hanover; the devill
in hell fetch them all.' And that the next day he, this informant, standing in his father's door & seeing
the said Cook comeing past he reproved him for speaking the above mencioned w-ords, upon which the
s Cook said ' God bless King James,' meaning, as this informant believes, the Pretender, and saith it is
credibly rejjorted that the s'' Cook was actually in the late rebellion."
The feeling between the Roman Catholics and Protestants in Hexham
about this time was evidently very strong. On September i6th, 1718, there
took place in the town a somewhat serious riot, which might perhaps be
classed with any other pot-house brawl were it not for the rank and religion
of the principal offenders. These were Dr. Edward Charlton of Walwick
Patten, Histury uf the Rebellion in 1715, pp. 16-26. ^ Sessions Records, 1719.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH.
257
Grange, and Jasper Gibson, members of two of the most prominent Roman
Catholic families in the district. Popular feeling was evidently strongly on
the side of the defeated party, and when the magistrates issued warrants for
the apprehension of Charlton and Gibson, Edward Walker, petty constable
of Newbrough, refused to execute it, and it was even believed that he had
given warning to the accused, which had enabled them to make good their
escape.^
The rebellion of 1745 did not have the same effect in Hexham as the
rising of 171 5. The chief reason for this was that the royal army took
possession of Newcastle and the east coast, while the Pretender's forces
chose the western side of England. The rebellion broke out in September,
and in the same month a list was taken of all persons who were suspected
of sympathy with the house of Stuart. By this means a considerable
check was placed upon those who were disaffected towards the govern-
ment. The list, it will be noted, in spite of the reputation of Hexham for
Jacobitism, contains only forty-five names :
Papists, reputed papists, and non-jurors in Hexham borough, September, 1745.
Thomas Jefferson, tanner.
Robert Jefferson, shoemaker.
John Brown, weaver.
Robert Wilson, weaver.
John Jefferson, hatter.
Cuthbert Weir, woodman.
Mr. Chaunterell.
Geo. Leadbitter, tanner.
Ralph Leadbitter.
Wm. Ridley, shoemaker.
Christopher Dickinson.
Edw. Charlton.
Esquire Hardwick.
John Thompson, wigmaker.
Mr. Thompson.
Joshua Cook, skinner.
Jas. Gray, tailor.
Philip Jefferson, surgeon.
Thos. Kirsopp, surgeon.
John Errington, mason.
Wm. Hutchinson.
Nicholas Machin.
Geo. Studholme, butcher.
Thos. Taylor, sen., taylor.
Edw. Taylor, staymaker.
Thos. Taylor, jun., taylor.
John Ridley, gentleman.
Robert Rymer, merchant.
Wm. Ridley, taylor.
Richard Ellis, gentleman.
Robert Allgood.
John Fairlam, jun.
Edw. Brown, skinner.
John Brown, breeches maker.
John Swinburn, clockmaker.
Edw. Wilson, shoemaker.
Cuthbert Swinburn, sen., taylor.
Wm. Swinburn, taylor.
Cuthbert Swinburn, jun., taylor.
Peter Higginsbotham, innkeeper.
Geo. Rowland, taylor.
Bartholemew Allgood, merchant.
Thos. Grey, smith.
Robert Wilson, merchant."
Stephen Ridley, taylor.
On November i6th General Wade reached Hexham from Newcastle,
having a portion of the royal army with him. His intention was to prevent
Carlisle from falling into the hands of the enemy. But before he left
Hexham the news arrived that Carlisle had already opened its gates to the
Pretender, and Wade at once returned to Newcastle.^ The war did not
again approach Hexham until January, 1746. The army of the duke of
Cumberland was at that time pressing northwards in pursuit of the rebels.
' Sessions Records, Michaelmas, 1718.
Vol. III.
■ Ibiti. sub anno.
Brand, Hist, of Newcastle,
1. 528 n.
33
258 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
On the 4th of the month Cobham's dragoons passed through Hexham on
their march to Edinburgh by way of Morpeth.'
An Act for the division of Hexham East and West common was passed
on the 3rd of May, 1755. The amount of land to be divided was 4,150 acres
2 roods 13 poles. Of this one-sixteenth was set apart as the share of Sir
Walter Blackett, the lord of the manor. The remaining claimants were
classified in three divisions, freeholders, copyholders of Hexham, and copy-
holders of Anick Grange. Value for value, house property only received
half the acreage that was allotted to land. Provision was made for eleven
high roads, and for twenty-three smaller ways." The following contem-
porary account of the enclosure (and of some other matters) is of interest :
I can tell you a notable piece of husbandry at this juncture, executing by the inhabitants of Hexam
town. 4,000 acres of waste lands are divided among them as their own property ; the act of Parliament,
eight commissioners at a guinea a day, and all expences, cost ;^2,ooo; and before these commissioners
thought fit to finish the division our industrious neighbours had sown and inclosed several hundred acres,
all with quick set hedges. Provisions are of various prices, according to the season of the year : beef,
mutton, lamb, from 2d. to 3id. ; pork generally, 2|d.; a goose, i2d., at the latter end of harvest, and 2s.
or 2s. 6d. at Christmas ; chickens, 3d., generally ; a hen, 6d. ; and five eggs a penny. I have just received
an account that salmon is now selling at the Cross for lid. a pound, and that they will not all be sold for
that price. Day labouring men's wages, within these two years, was 8d., now i2d.; carpenters, etc.,
IS. 4d., the master, is. 6d.; taylors that work by day, 6d. and their victuals In cultivating
our common, already spoken of, we pare off the surface and burn it, and upon each acre lay four fother of
lime, w'hich will, before laid on, slake to 8 fother; this, with the ashes, will produce a fine crop of rye, with
once ploughing.'
In the year 1761 occurred a deplorable tumult which is generally known
as the Hexham riot. According to the laws then in force, all persons liable
to serve in the militia were enrolled, and their names submitted to the ballot.
Those who were drawn were obliged to go out under the colours. A
general feeling prevailed in Northumberland and Durham that these pro-
ceedings were unjust, and the men protested that the landowners ought to
hire men to serve in the miHtia, according to the former custom. The
balloting on this occasion began at Durham, and it was at once seen that the
proceedings would probably lead to a disturbance. Mobs prevented the
work of balloting from being carried out at Morpeth and Whittingham, and
' Sykes, Local Records, i. 1 78.
- Bell Collection. The total rental of Hexham, taken for the purpose of this division, was/3,416 9s. 5d.,
and the following were the principal holders: Sir Walter Blackett. ^228 14s.; Greenwich Hospital Com-
missioners, ^219 9s. 5d. ; the countess of Oxford, £.qZ 17s. The governors of the grammar school
claimed a share for Hudshaw and Cooks bank, £b ids.; the alms house, £2 ; and the school house and
garden, ^5 os. id. The following claims are also interesting: Thomas .-Andrews, as lecturer, for a house
and garden near the abbey ; William Graham, curate, for a tenement called Smelting Sike, and another
called Delicate hall ; the churchwardens and overseers for one acre of ground, a close near the Maiden
cross. Gentleman's Magazine, 1755, p. 298; article signed W. B.
HISTORY ()¥ THE BOROUGH. 259
the authorities, aware that some resistance would be offered to the enlist-
ments at Hexham, sent to Newcastle for military assistance. On Sunday,
the 8th of March, two battalions of the North York militia arrived at
Hexham, and the next day, the troops being about 240 in number, were
marched into the market place and drawn up in a hollow square against the
Town hall. At the same time the town crier was sent round advising the
inhabitants to keep within doors. Meanwhile men from all the country
round continued to flock into the market place, armed with pistols, clubs,
and other weapons. By one o'clock it was estimated that the crowd
numbered about 5,000. The justices established themselves in the Town
hall, all the avenues of which were carefully guarded, and to them were
presented petitions against the militia laws, the men declaring that they
would not submit to the ballot. The magistrates replied that they were
bound to carry out the law, but the mob only became fiercer and more
excited. Horns were sounded, announcing the aiTival of newcomers, and
the crowd was constantly assuming a more and more menacing attitude. At
two o'clock the Riot Act was read, but so far from causing the mob to
disperse, this only seemed to excite them the more. Waving their sticks
and clubs, the mob pressed nearer and nearer to the soldiery, upon whom
they heaped insults and threats. At last they succeeded in breaking through
the line. One soldier was shot dead with his own weapon, and Ensign Hart
fell mortally wounded by a pistol shot. These outrages gave the signal for
the soldiers to act. Their ranks were closed up, and the word was given to
fire. For a few minutes the troops fired steadily, and the market place was
rapidly cleared, a rush being made through all the narrow streets opening on
to it. Fifty-one persons are said to have lost their lives in this affair, and
about 300 were reported to be wounded. No arrests were made on the
spot, as the magistrates preferred to issue warrants in the usual way. Peter
Patterson and William Elder, two of the rioters, were subsequently convicted
of high treason at Morpeth assizes. Elder was reprieved, but Patterson was
hanged. This man, the only judicial victim of the affair, was probably one
of the most innocent of those concerned in the riot.^ Ensign Hart died on
the day following the event, and was buried the same evening with military
honours.
' When Patterson was being hanged the rope gave way, and he is said to have exclaimed, ' Innocent
blood is ill to shed.' As a matter of fact he did not take part in the affair at Hexham, and only joined
the rioters by force, and much against his will, as they were on the road from Hexham to Morpeth.
26o HEXHAM BOROUGH.
The riot had thus been suppressed witii a loss to the troops of only two
men and the temporary disablement of three others, though for some time
afterwards dragoons scoured the country round, and the whole district was
placed under military law. A great deal of ill-feeling was excited by these
repressive measures in the district, where the North York militia were for
many years known as 'the Hexham butchers.'^
The following list of the killed is given by Ridley in his Hexham Chronicle; Hexham: Joseph Heart;
David Greenock, soldier; Sarah Carter, with child; Thos. Levestone's wife, with child; John Dobb,
shoemaker; David Turnbull, labourer; Thos. Usher, servant; Christopher Johnson, son of Robert
Johnson; David Marrow, labourer; John Armstrong of New House, Hexhamshire. Slaley parish: Matt.
Carr; Michael Burdess ; Jas. Robson's son; Matt. Fairlamb; Andrew Lamb. Broomly: Henry Leighton ;
Robt. Brown, servant. Corbridge : Ralph Shotton ; Thos. Richardson. Bywell parish and Whittonstall :
— Brown; — Brown, his son; Humphrey Brown, his son. Prudhoe: — Heslip, pitman. Simonbum:
John Mintaff; Jas. Young. Blanchland: Geo. Siddle of Crook Oak. Newburn: Wm. Crow, weaver.
Fourstones and Newbrough : Wm. Watson; Henry Hoggart. Haydon Bridge: Nicholas Fewster of
Staward. HoUings: Mr. Thos. Forstcr. Ryall Town: Henry Dun, son of Richard Dun. Throckley:
Wni. Rotherford; — Pescott of Heddon on the Wall ; John Cutter of Heddon on the Wall. ChoUerton :
Jacob Coulson ; John Charlton, Birtlcy; Wm. Hepple, Birtley; Thos. Dodd; Wm. Scott of Swinburn.
St. John Lee: Thos. English, Anick; Ant. Brown, Sandoe ; Geo. Johnson, Wall. Stamfordham: Joseph
Dodd; John Proud; John Elliott; John Appleby; Thos. Hudspeth. Hartbum : John Row. Walwick:
Thos. Forster. Kirkheaton : Robt. Atkinson. It will be observed that the victims came from many and
distant parts of Northumberland. Ridley also gives a list of wounded, containing fifty names, but the
majority of those hurt would, when possible, conceal the evidence of their participation in the riot.
This event added three sermons to Hexham bibliography, whose titles it
may be worth while to quote. They are :
'On the natural duty of a personal service in defence of ourselves and
country. A sermon preached at St. Nicholas' church in Newcastle, on
occasion of a late dangerous insurrection at Hexham. To which is prefixed
a short and authentic account of the insurrection. By John Brown, D.D.,
vicar of Newcastle. London : Printed for L. Davis and C. Reymers, against
Grays-Inn, Holborn, mdcclxl'
'On the important duty of subjection to the civil powers. A sermon
preached at Hexham, in Northumberland, on Sunday, April 12, 1761.
Occasioned by a late unhappy insurrection. By William Totton, M.A.,
lecturer of Hexham, and formerly Fellow of St. John's college, Cambridge.
Power is given them of the Lord, and sovereignty from the highest. Wis.
vi. 3. Newcastle-upon-Tyne : Printed by L Thompson, esq., and Company,
and sold by Mr. Richardson, in Pater Noster Row, London ; Mr. Feather-
stone, in Hexham ; and by the booksellers in Newcastle.'
' Wright, History of Hexham, pp. 202, 203. Ridley, Hexham Chronicle, pp. 1-32. Sykes, Local Records,
i. pp. 231-4. Newcastle Courant, March 14, 1761.
HISTORY OF THK BOROUGH. 26 1
I
A serious address to the common people on account of tlie late
insurrection.' Published anonymously. Ridley conjectures that it was the
production of the curate of Hexham, Peter Rumney, but he has not stated
the grounds of his belief.
Since the riot, the annals of Hexham contain little but the peaceful
records of an ordinary quiet country town.
In 1766 the shambles, still existing in the market place, were erected
at the cost of Sir Walter Blackett, the lord of the manor. In 1771 the old
market cross, upon which the proclamation of the Pretender had been fixed
fifty-six years before, was removed to Haydon Bridge and set up there. ^
On the 1st of November, 1806, Miss Mary Russell Mitford, who after-
wards became famous as the authoress of Oitr Village^ visited Hexham,
which was the birthplace of her father. In an interesting letter, she records
her impressions of the quaint old town :
To Mrs. Mitford, Bertram house. Little Harle tower, Nov. 2, 1806.
The promising appearance of yesterday morning, my dearest mamma, tempted us to set forward on
our expedition to Hexham. On our arrival we drove immediately to the abbey, where Colonel Beaumont
had arrived only the night before. The colonel was delighted to see us, and pressed us much to stay
dinner. This we of course refused, as it was rather too much to travel twenty miles after a six o'clock
dinner. We, however, accepted his offer of seeing the beautiful church, which joins his house ; and
Lady Charles took me to see the abbey itself Upon repairing and beautifying this house, in which they
only spend about a month in the year, the poor colonel has lately expended upwards of twelve thousand
pounds. It was a fine specimen of the Saxon-Gothic architecture {sic); but he has built upon the same
foundation, retained all the inconveniences of the ancient style, and lost all its grandeur. It has on the
outside an appearance of a manufactory, and the inside conveys the exact idea of an inn. I should have
thought it absolutely impossible to construct so bad a house with so many rooms. There is but one
good one, which is the ball room, and this is made the passage to the bed chambers. . . .
In order to render the bad taste of this abominable modern house still more conspicuous, it is
contrasted with the singular beauty of the adjoining cathedral, whose gloomy magnificence and fine
pointed arches delighted me extremely. The colonel is the patron, I may almost say the proprietor, of
this fine church (for he is what they call a lay bishop, and still receives the tributary pence from the
communicants), yet that part of the edifice where the pews are placed is in a most shocking state. The
bottom of one of the pews, situated exactly under his own, is covered with straw like a London hackney
coach ; and even his own pew seems quietly resigned to the moths and other depredators. Everything,
in short, seemed to testify it was a place he seldom visited.
We dined at a very wretched inn, for I must confess, in spite of the prepossession I felt in favour of
my dear Ittey's native town, that Hexham is a shocking gloomy place. After dinner I had the pleasure
of visiting the house where my darling was born. It has been an extremely good one, and still retains a
very respectable appearance; but it is now divided, and on one side of the street door, which still
remains, is a collar maker's shop, and on the other a milliner's. We entered the latter, and purchased
three pair of Hexham gloves, one for papa, one for my dearest mamma, and one for Ammy. I thought
that, both as a memorial of the town and of the house, you would like that better than any other trifle 1
could piocure.-
' Sykes, Local Records, i. pp. 259, 278.
'' L'Estrange, Life of Miss Mitford (London, Bentley), i. pp. 57, 58.
262 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Less than twelve years after Miss Mitford's visit, on the afternoon of
September the 24th, 18 18, the old Abbey house which she had so much
decried was almost destroyed by fire. The buildings were arranged in the
form of a quadrangle, and of these the south and west sides were entirely
consumed, together with a considerable portion of the north side. The total
amount of the damage done was estimated at ;^i 0,000. The fire is supposed
to have originated from the overheating of the flues, and it appears that less
than twelve months before another fire had broken out in the house, due
to the defective state of the chimneys.' The buildings which remain now
serve for the accommodation of the local police force, and as a court house.
On the 1 8th of November, 1824, Hexham was first lighted with oil
lamps, and in January, 1835, it was lighted with gas, the latter event being
publicly celebrated.^ Jonathan Martin, the incendiary of York minster, was
apprehended there in February, 1829. At his trial, which followed soon
after, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty on the ground of insanity.'
The passing of the great Reform Bill of 1832 was celebrated with great
rejoicings, a public procession, and dinner at the club house of each of the
guilds. Similar rejoicings had heralded the liberation of Wilkes from prison
sixty-two years before.*
In September, 1866, the public buildings in Beaumont Street were
opened. The scheme was originated by the Local Board of Health,
but it was assisted by the co-operation of Mr. W. B. Beaumont, the lord
of the manor.'^ The Hexham water works were opened in 1865. More
recently, in 1888, the town has been supplied with pure spring water from
the Ladle wells. In 1878 a thorough system of drainage was carried out,
under the direction of Mr. John S. Hodgson, CE.*^
Means of Communication.
The position of Hexham as a large agricultural centre and as the
capital of Hexhamshire and Tynedale rendered necessary a ready means
of access across the Tyne to the country north and west of that river. In
the earliest times the fords over the river would be used to approach the
town from that direction, and at a later period a ferryboat may also have
been stationed there for the use of travellers. It is impossible to ascertain
' Sykes, Local Records, ii. p. 115; Newcastle Couraiit, Oct. 3, 1818.
■■' Sykes, Local Records, ii. p. 180, iii. p. 31. ^ Ibid. ii. pp. 241-3. ' lOid. i. 272, ii. 394.
^ Ibid. iii. p. 436. ' Hodges, Guide to He.xham, p. 31.
HEXHAM ABBEY FROM THE NORTH-WEST.
(From a drawing Ijy Grimm, in the British Museum, made circa 1780.^
Church anh North Fkoxt of the Conventual Buildings.
West Front of the Conventual Buildings.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 263
at what date the first bridge was built. It may, however, be assumed that
there was nothing of the kind in existence at the end of the eleventh
century, for it will be remembered that, in the curious legend about the
attempt of Malcolm III., king of Scotland, to desecrate the church, the Scots
were prevented from crossing the river by the thick fog and swollen stream.^
From the manner in which this event is recorded by Aelred, nearly one
hundred years later, it is probable that there was no bridge at Hexham even
at that date. Shortly after, however, about the close of the twelfth century,
a bridge seems to have been built. In June, 1263, the abbot of Holm-
cultram claimed free passage of carts and carriages beyond the bridge of
Hexham as an ancient privilege.^ Too much stress must not, of course, be
placed upon the words ancient privilege, especially in a claim of this kind ;
it proves, however, that the bridge had been in existence for many years,
probably beyond the memory of living man.' Soon after this date of 1263,
the bridge referred to must have been destroyed, for in 1294 we find Arch-
bishop Romayne, writing to Robert de Harum, a canon of Hexham, and
Walter, priest of St. Mary's, granting them the deodands which were due to
him from Hexhamshire for the purpose of building a bridge at Hexham.''
Archbishop Romayne died in 1296, apparently before anything further had
been done towards the erection of a bridge, and the matter rested in
abeyance until the year 1307, when it was taken up by Archbishop Green-
field. The men who had been originally charged to collect funds for the
purpose, seem to have diverted the money to their own uses, and the arch-
bishop gave orders that they should be compelled to give up all that they
had received. He further ordered that two worthy men should be selected
to take these funds, and devote them to the purpose for which they were
originally intended.'^
' Supra, p. 124. - Cal. State Papers, Scotland, i. 2340.
" It is conceivable, however, that the privilege claimed was anciently a free right of way across a ferry
01 ford, and that the contention of the abbot was that the erection of a bridge could not deprive him of
this right, though the bridge may have been recent.
' 'J. primas, etc., dilectis in Christo filiis fratri Roberto de Harum canonico et Waltero presbitero
capellae Beatae Mariae de Hextildesham, salutem, graciam, et benedictionem. Ad fabricam pontis de
Hextildesham deodanda itineris justiciariorum nostrorum ibidem de corona vobis concedimus tenore
presencium et donamus ; proviso quod de ipsis nobis seu nostris per compotum respondeatis fideliter,
cum fueritis requisiti. Data supra proxima' [13th May, 1294]. York Registers, Romanus. f. 98 a.
' 'Willelmus, permissione divina, etc., dilectis in Christo filiis, domino Johanni de Vallibus militi, et
Henrico de Menill ballivo nostro de Hextildesham, salutem, graciam, et benedictionem. Cum nonulli in
diversis summis pecuniae tam ex legato quam dono et alio modo, ad fabricam pontis de Hextildesham,
ut intelleximus, teneantur, quam pecuniam hactenus solvere distulerint, propter quod fabrica ipsa
dispendiosius est tardaita. Nos de vestra induslria confidentes ad investigandum et inquirendum solerte
264 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
If Archbishop Greenfield's efforts were successful, the bridge which he
caused to be built must speedily have been destroyed, either by the floods,
or at the time of the Scotch invasions of 1314 and 1315. In 1328 Arch-
bishop Melton, while ordering the receiver Fox to build two mills at
Hexham, also instructs him to build a boat.' It would appear most probable
that the plan of building a bridge had been abandoned, and that the more
economical expedient of using a ferry had been substituted. A charter of
Archbishop Thoresby, dated January 30th, 1356, is more explicit. In this
document the archbishop farms out the ferry across the Tyne to William de
Kernetly for the sum of twenty shillings annually, upon condition that he will
provide a new boat for the purpose, and do no harm or wrong to anyone using
the ferry.' In the preceding year, on the i8th of May, the archbishop had
granted a charter giving Henry de Barton, his auditor, and Richard de Ask,
his bailiff, the power to farm out the Tyne ferry [le passage de Tyne)?
During a period of nearly two hundred years there is no mention of
either a bridge or a ferry at Hexham. The first record that breaks this long
silence is the survey of 1547, which speaks of a water passage called ' les
fferrye,' farmed out to Robert Armstrong at a yearly rent of ten shillings.''
The survey of 1608 contains the additional information that the ferry was
called the Eastboat, and that it was worth thirty shillings yearly above the
rent of ten shillings due to the lord of the manor.* This 'Eastboat'
ferry was in Acomb township, probably at some point between New Bridge
End and Old Bridge End, on the north bank of the Tyne.
de legatis, donis et debitis quibuslibet ad pontem assignatis predictum, in quorumcumque manibus
fuerint, et ad compellendum et distringendum quoslibet debitores hiijusmodi declaratis debitis ad solven-
dum, nccnon ad deputandum duos viros fidedignos per vos et alios de libertate nostra de Hextildesham
fidedigniores celeriter eligendos, qui colligant et recipiant omnia legata, dona et debita hujusmodi eaque
constanter, fideliter, et discrete in usum fabricae memoratae, inde eciam reddant compotum ad nostrum
scaccarium omni anno vobis tenore praesencium tribuimus potestatem. In cujus rei testimonium literas
nostras fieri fecimus has patentes. Data apud Hextildesham xvij. kalendas Februarii anno graciae
m°ccc° sexto, et pontificatus nostri primo' [i6th January, 1307]. York Registers, Greenfield, i. If. 346.
' Ibiei. Melton, f. 427 a.
■ ' Haec indentura, facta inter venerabilem patrem et dominum J., Dei gratia Ebor. archiepiscopum,
Angliae primatem, ex una parte, et Willelmum de Kernetly ex altera, testatur quod predictus archiepis-
copus concessit et dimisit praefato Willelmo, passagium ultra aquam de Tyna subtus villam de
Hextildesham infra libertatem ipsius archiepiscopi de Hextildesham, ad totam vitam ipsius archiepiscopi,
reddendo inde annuatim predicto archiepiscopo viginti solidos. Et predictus Willelmus, sumptibus
propriis faciet batillam de novo, pro dicto passagio, et toto tempore predicto in omnibus sustentabit et
reparabit, et passagium illud faciet tam pro domino archiepiscopo, quam pro tota civitate debite serviri,
dampna, extorsiones, vel aliqua alia molesta nemini per se vel per alium facere non praesumat. Et si
fecerit, tunc liceat praefato archiepiscopo predictum passagium in manus suas accipere et inde pro
voluntate sue disponere et ordinare. Data in manerio dicti domini archiepiscopi juxta Westmonasterium
XXX die Januarii, anno domini m°ccc°lv.' Ibid. Thoresby, f. 300 a.
' Ibid. ' Supra, p. 83. ' Supra, p. 100.
HISTORY OF THE ROROUGH. 265
During the whole of the seventeenth century the inliabitants of Hex-
ham had no means of communication with the country north of the Tyne
except by a ferry. The household books of Lord William Howard show
that there was no bridge at Hexham in his day. Under August the 6th,
1621, is the following entry: 'To seven tenants bringing seven loads of
wheat from Morpeth, vijs ; to them for their ferrying over at Hexham, the
waters being out, ijs."
The account given by the Norwich soldiers in 1634 is even more
conclusive,^ and in 1632 the ferry is expressly mentioned as part of the
manorial property transferred to Sir John Fenwick in that year.' Again, in
1640, when Sir Michael Ernie and Captain Lloyd made their report on
Hexham, they make no reference to a bridge, though they were expressly
instructed to destroy it if they should find one there.'*
In the absence of a bridge, two ferries seem to have been used at this
later period, one called the 'Eastboat', which has been already referred to,
and the other known as the 'Westboat.' The name of the 'Westboat' ferry
is still preserved in a homestead situated on the south bank of the south
Tyne, about a mile above the Spital. The one ferry opened communi-
cations thi-ough St. John Lee parish ; the other performed the same office
through Warden parish to the districts lying respectively on the east and
west banks of the north Tyne.
The need of a bridge connecting Hexham with the northern part of the
county was severely felt by the inhabitants of the town. It was, therefore,
amid great rejoicings, that the first stone of a bridge was laid by Sir
Walter Blackett on the 15th of October, 1767. This bridge of seven
arches, built under the direction of Mr. Yolt, was not finished until 1770,
but it had hardly been in existence a year before it was swept away by the
great flood of 1771.'^
Undeterred by this disaster, the inhabitants of Hexham determined to
make another attempt. In 1774 preparations were made with a view to
constructing a bridge fifty yards westward of the former one. It was pro-
posed to build the piers upon piles, but the discovery that the gravel in
the bed of the river covered a quicksand, caused this plan to be abandoned.
It was not until 1777 that John Errington of Beaufront undertook to
' Surt. Soc. vol. 68, p. 1S2. '' Supra, p. 254. ' Supra, p. 59.
* Cat. State Papers, Domestic, cccclxv. 10. " Sykes, Local Records, ii. pp. 264, 286.
Vol. III. 34
266 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
provide Hexham with a bridge, and engaged Smeaton, then at the lieight of
his reputation, to carry out the work. The contract was for ^5,700, to be
paid in instalments as the work advanced, together with ^400 for making an
approach to the bridge. Mr. Errington was likewise to have the materials of
the former bridge, which were valued at ;^3,ooo. After the piers in course of
construction had been washed away by a flood in 1778, the new bridge was
successfully completed in 1780, and opened on the ist of July in that year.
Unfortunately this structure was not destined to last much longer than
its predecessor. On March the loth, 1782, there was a fall of snow, followed
by a gale of wind, and the new bridge was swept away by the swollen
stream. Unhappily, for himself, John Errington had not only engaged to
build the bridge, but he had also undertaken to keep it in a proper state of
repair for seven years. Immediately after the destruction of the bridge he
wrote to Smeaton enquiring upon what terms the bridge could be restored.
The engineer replied that it might be done for ^2,863, but that it would be
madness to attempt it, because a bridge built upon the same plan would be
equally liable to destruction. Acting upon this advice Mr. Errington
resolved not to rebuild the bridge, and offered the countv the sum of ;^3,ooo
as compensation. The magistrates, not being satisfied with this sum, ulti-
mately took the case into the courts, where it dragged on until 1787, when
judgment was given against John Errington for ^4,000.^
The bridge which at present exists was built from the design of Mr.
Mylne, and was completed on the 19th of September, 1793.'^
Towards the close of the eighteenth century it was proposed to connect
Hexham with Newcastle bv a canal. Two different routes were suggested,
the one running along the north bank of the Tvne, the other along the south.
A third proposal was to make the Tyne navigable up to Hexham. All these
schemes fell through, being strongly opposed in many quarters, and not
meeting with sufficient encouragement from their supporters.'
Nevertheless other means of communication had not been neglected.
Between 1753 and 1754, when the port of Alnmouth was in a flourishing
condition, a road was made from that town to Hexham, and the part of it
which enters the latter town is still known as the Alemouth road.^
' Smaiton's Riforts, iii. pp. 267-344. Narrative of the Proceedings Relative to Hexham Bridge; London
printed by J. 1*. Coghlan, 1788. - Sykes, Local Records, i. p. 301.
'■' Report on the Proposed Line of Navigation from Stella to Hexham. * Vol. ii. p. 489.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 267
In 1828 a post coach began running between Hexham and Penrith,
passing through districts that had never before been visited by public
conveyances for passengers. There was also a system of well-horsed wag-
gons for the carriage of goods between Newcastle and Carlisle, belonging
to, and worked by, the Wrights of Temon.'
Hexham was one of the first places in the country to which a line of
rail was constructed, the section of the Newcastle and Carlisle railway from
Blaydon to Hexham having been opened in 1835. The remainder of the
railway to Carlisle was finished in 1838.- Twenty years later, in 1858, the
Border Counties railway, connecting the town with the North British
system was completed, and in 1869 the Hexham and Allendale line was
opened.
Trade.
In spite of the comparatively recent date of all these means of com-
munication, Hexham was a place of commercial importance in early times.
When tillage was the principal occupation of rural communities, Hexham
was the market town of a wide-spreading and fertile agricultural district.
The weekly market was held on Monday, and there was a fair on St. Luke's
day and the day preceding (October 17 and iS). These dates were fixed in
1239, by a grant of King Henry III.^ The quantity of grain regularly
brought into the market must have been considerable, and some of the
minor officials of the town were paid in that commoditv. So late as 1820,
Wright states that 4,000 quarters of wheat, 2,000 quarters of oats, 1,000
quarters of barley, and 1,500 quarters of rye were annually sold at Hexham.^
By the fourteenth century a two davs' fair had apparentlv become
insufficient for the growing needs of the town, and, in 13 19, Archbishop
Melton petitioned King Edward II. to grant him two fairs at Hexham, one
at the time of St. James' day, for five days (July 22-26), and the other at the
time of the feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude, for six days (Oct. 24-29).'^
' Newciistlc Courant, Sept. 8tli, 1778. - Sykes, Local Records, ii. 385 ; iii. 32, 59.
' 'Et quod habeant unam feriam singulis annis apud manerium suum de Hextildcsham per duos dies
duraturam, videlicet in vigilia et in die Sancti Lucae Evangelistae ; et quod habeant ibidem unam
mercatam singulis septimanis per diem lunae.' Historians of York, Rolls series, iii. p. 149.
* Wright, History of Hexham, p. 31. 'Hexham measure' was, until quite recently, used proverbially
to denote very full measure. The Hexham bushel consisted of two Winchester bushels of wheat and rye,
and two and a half Winchester bushels of oats and barley. The table of measures used in the town was :
For wheat, peas, and rye, 4 quarts " I forpit; 4forpits ^ I peck; 4 pecks = I bushel; 2 bushels « i boll;
for barley and oats, the same, except that 5 forpits ^ i peck. Ibid. Arch. Ael. n.s. i. p. 109. Bailey and
Culley, i'icK' of Agriculture in Northumberland in 1805, p. 181. '' York Registers, JNIelton, f. 404 b.
268 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
The request of the archbishop was granted, subject to one reservation, that
the alteration was not to be made if neighbouring markets or fairs would
suffer any damage by it.'
No alteration of the dates for holding these fairs seems to have taken
place till 1662. In that year, Sir William Fenwick, the lord of the manor,
petitioned King Charles II. to change the market day from Monday to
Tuesday. He also asked permission to hold a cattle market on the Tues-
day next before the feast of St. Cuthbert {i.e., on Tuesday, March i8th),
and every Tuesday fortnight between that day and the feast of St. Martin
the bishop, in winter, for the buying and selling of all manner of cattle.
After an inquisition ad quod datnnnm had been held, this petition was
granted, and in the terms of the grant it is incidentally mentioned that the
fairs were held in Hencotes and Priestpopple Streets, and not, as might
have been expected, in the market place.^ The request for a cattle market
is interesting, because it probably indicates a considerable growth in the
cattle trade of the town, and it forms a striking commentary upon the fact
that after the reign of Elizabeth large numbers of tillage farms were con-
verted into pasture.
If the number of fairs is any criterion, the cattle trade of Hexham
must have grown largely during the eighteenth century, for in 1741 it was
ordered that a fortnightly fair for cattle and sheep should be held in
Hexham on the loth of March and the following days. On the 25th of
March, 1826, Colonel and Mrs. Beaumont, the lord and lady of the manor,
instituted a tryst fair to be held in a field provided by them for the purpose.
In 1 74 1, at the time when the cattle fair was instituted, two fairs for leather
were appointed to be held annually, the one on the 29th of July, and the other
' 'Rex archiepiscopis, etc., salutem. Sciatis nos, de gracia nostra special!, concessisse et hac carta
nostra confirmasse venerabili patri Willelmo de iMelton, archiepiscopo Ebor. Anglie primati, quod ipse
et successores sui imperpetuum habeant .... unam .... feriam apud nianerium suum de
Hextildesham in comitatu Northumbrie, singulis annis per quinque dies duraturam; videlicet pertres dies
ante festum Sancti Jacobi Apostoli, et in die et in crastino ejusdem festi ; et unam aliam feriam ibidem
singulis annis per sex dies duraturam, videlicet per quatuor dies ante festum Apostolorum Simonis et
Jude, et in die, et in crastino ejusdem festi, nisi .... feiie ille sint ad nocumentum vicinoruin
mercatarum et vicinarum feriarum. Quare volumus, etc. Hiis testibus : venerabilibus patribus J.
Norwicensi episcopo, cancellario nostro ; W. Exoniensi episcopo thesaurario nostro ; Adomaro de
Valencia, comite Pembr.; Humfrido de Bohun, comite Hereford et Essex ; Johanne de Warran, comite
Sum; Edmundo, comite Arundell, Hugone le Despenser juniore et aliis. Data per manum nostram apud
Lambhelhe xviij die Aprilis [1320] per ipsum regem.' Rot. Chart. 13 Edward II. No. 9.
- State Papt-rs, Domestic, Charles II. liv. Nos. 7 and 42. Later on the fairs were held on the Tyne
green, and appear to have acquired a malodorous reputation. 'The Tyne green ; that's ten miles ayont
heir, was a local saying of these times. Denham Tracts, Folk Lore Society, i. p. 280.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 269
on the 29th of October.' When Wright wrote in 1823, the times of the
fairs seem to have been further altered. He speaks of two annual fairs,
' the first for cattle, horses, swine, sheep, and lambs, altered from the 5th to
the 6th of August; the other for fat and lean cattle, swine, and horses,
altered from the 8th to the 9th of November.' Though Tuesday continued
to be the principal market day, an inferior market was held on Saturday.
The times for hirings of servants were May day and Martinmas.^
Although Hexham was originally and principally a market for agricul-
tural produce, it was also for a long time the centre of two or three
flourishing industries. Of these, by far the most important was the leather
trade, in many of its branches. In the Court Kolls of the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, almost every other person named is a tanner, a glover,
a cordvvainer, or a saddler. The industry upon which the leather trade was
based was naturally tanning. This had been carried on in Hexham for
many years, though the exact time at which the trade sprang up is uncertain.
It was in a flourishing condition in the seventeenth centurv, and perhaps
earlier. During the earlier years of the present centurv the trade was at its
height. In 1823 there were four tan yards at Hexham. The number of
hands employed, however, did not exceed eighteen, and the yearly output
consisted of 5,000 hides and 12,000 calf skins. Almost all the skins that
were dressed were devoted to the use of the glovers. A more important
industry even than tanning was glove-making, which was the principal trade
of Hexham, and the gloves called Hexham 'Tans' were long famous.
The state of this industrv in 1823 is thus described bv Wright:
Men and boys employed as leather dressers and glove-cutters ... 71
Boys employed as dusters ... ... ... ... ... 40
Women in Hexham and its vicinity employed in sewing ... ... 1,000
Total ... ... ... ... ... 1,1 II
Raw skins used annually ... ... ... ... ... So,ooo
Skins of dressed leather imported annually ... ... ... 18,000
Total ... ... ... ... ... qS.ooo'
As many as 23,504 dozens of pairs of gloves were annuallv made and sent
to various parts of the kingdom.
' Sykes, Locnl Records, ii. p. 165 ; iii. p. 196.
■-'Wright, History of Hexham, p. 30. Hirings are now held on the I jth of May and the nth of
November, and for hinds on the first Tuesday in April. Hodges, Giiiiie to He.xliam, p. 103.
'History of Hexham, p. 25.
270 HEXHAM nOROUGH.
An interesting circumstance in connection with this industry is worthy
of record. In the manufacture of gloves, about five tons of Dutch ochre
were used annually. During the wars with Napoleon, the exportation of this
commodity to England was prohibited, and the manufacturers of Hexham
were forced to fall back upon the fell clay of their own country side. From
this circumstance the farm of Okerland, situated about a mile south-east of
Hexham, is said to derive its name.
Another important industry that flourished in Hexham about the same
time was the manufacture of stuff hats. The trade seems to have been
started in Hexham as soon as it was introduced into the country, and
though it never attained the proportions of the glove manufacture, it was a
flourishing one. In 1823 there were sixteen master hatters in the town, and
the number of hands employed varied between 20 and 40.
A small woollen manufactory was also started in the town by Messrs.
W. & H. Hart about the beginning of the present century. Their premises
were situated near the abbey gate. The work carried on was not great,
and consisted principally in the carding and dressing of wool for consump-
tion in the neighbourhood. About twenty hands were employed. Other
small industries were the weaving of linen, cotton, etc., by hand looms, the
manufacture of rope, and brewing.
Although Hexham never possessed a charter of incorporation, it has
always been known as a borough, and it at one time possessed guilds or
free companies, which enjoyed all the privileges that are usually considered
to be the prerogative of chartered companies only, and which took a leading
part in the government of the town. These companies were four in number,
and were known respectively as : (i) Weavers, (2) Tanners and Shoemakers,
(3) Skinners and Glovers, and (4) Hatters.^ Of the rules and regulations
and the general operation of these companies, scarcely a trace remains. The
companies themselves have died out, and their papers have disappeared with
them. Fortunatelv a set of rules, drawn up for the skinners and glovers in
1 613, still exists. These rules contain valuable evidence on the state of
trading at that time, and they are here printed in full :
Rules of the Skinners' and Glovers' Company.-
Forasmuch as the borough of Hexham is and hath beene before the memory of man an anlient
borrough, the head and seate of the manner and regallitie of Hexham and Hexhanishire, and att this
present is and allwaies hath beene principally inhabitted uith burgesses and traidesmen of severall traides
' Wright, History of Hexham, p. 107. - Hodgson MSS.
HISTORY OF THE HOROIIGH. 2/1
and occupations, such as have bceno educated and trained up apprentices williin the sayd borrough in
there several! traides, enionghs uliich the skynners and glovers hath beene most in numbers and
eminencye. And whereas there hath beene before the memory of man sundrie antient orders and
constitutions agreed upon, and from tyme to tyme presented by the sayd coinpany of skynners and
glovers, ffremen in the sayd borrough, some whereof neverthelcsse hath of late beene controverted, partly
by furronners and [lartly by tlie perversnesse of some few of the sayd company, and thereupon the sayd
whole company became humble sutors to the right worshipfull Sir John Fenwick, knight, head steward
to the king's most excellent majestie of the sayd mannor and regallities of Hexham and Hexhamshire, att
a head courte there houlden for the sayd mannor att Hexham aforesayd, the twelfth day of October, 1613,
that the sayd orders and constitutions might bee renewed and confirmed. The consideration of which
orders being Jjy the sayd steward commended to bee considered of by the grand jury chosen at the said
courte for the sayd whole mannor and libertie and jurie of the sayd borrough, which sayd severall juries
upon perusall of the sayd orders and conference with Robert Covvper, escjuire, learned steward of the sayd
mannor, found and presented these orders following, fitt and convenient, thenceforth to bee continued
and observed, both for the honestie and profitt of the sayd company, and benefitt of all his majesties
subjectes inhabiting within the said mannor and regallities, or elsewhere, resorting to the said borrough,
or trayding for any the commodities belonging the said trayd. Which order soe presented and approved
was, by the comaundment of the said steward inrolled in the rolls of the said courte, the coppie whereof
is as followeth, which, att the request of the present alderman and stewards of the sayd company, was
delivered unto them to the end they may seeke such further confirmation thereof as by law is requisitt.
And that the same may remaine with the said company to be from tyme to tyme putt in execution. In
testimony whereof att there sayd instance the sayd stewardes have subscribed there names, and the sayd
Sir John Fenwick hath hereunto alsoe sett his seale.
1. First, that as hath antiently accustomed the alderman, stewards, and every one of the said
whole company of skynners and glovers, freeinen in the said towne of Hexham, shall and may yeaiely
assemble themselves and meet togither at there usual! meeting place in Hexham aforesaid flouie
tymes in the yeare (that is to say) upon Tuesday in Whittson weeke, upon the feast day of St.
IVIichael the arch angell, upon St. Thomas day, after Christmas day, and upon Weddensday in
Shrovetide week, as formerly hath beene accustomed, and allso att all other tymes upon urgent
occasions concerning the said traid upon lawful! warneing given by the alderman and stewards of the
said fellowshipp by there officer or minnister appointed for that purpose upon paine of six pence of
every one of the said fellowshipp making such default therein.
2. Item. That the bretheren and the fellowshipp of the said company shall and may, upon the
feast day of St. Michael! the arch angell yearely att there said usual! meeting place make choice of
one of the sufficientest of the s'' company to bee alderman, and two other to bee stewards for the
yeare following, and two or more to be searchers of leather and worke wrought by the said company
or bretheren of the s'' borrough to search for the yeare following. And if any of the saide company
or most of them shall refuse to take upon him or them sucli office or place to the which hee or they
shall bee soe several! elected shall forfeit for every such refusall these severall summes following
respectively (viz') every one to be chosen alderman and refusing the same shall forfeit the some of
fifortie shillings; everyone elected to bee steward and refusing the same, twentie shillings a man;
and every one to bee chosen to bee searcher and refusing, tenn shillings for every offence in soe
refusing.
3. Item. That the searchers of the s"' company for the tyme being shall once att the least in
every twenty dayes search thorroughout and amongst the whole company and fellowshipp of the sayd
trayd if there bee any unlawfull wares amongst them, and if any such bee found to seize and keep
them in there handes, and to give notice to the alderman and stewards of the s" company thereof, and
att the next meeting of the s'' fellowshipp and company to present the s'' unlawfull wares soe seized
and their doeings theirein. And if upon examination and vew thereof by the s'' company the same
bee adjudged and declared to bee unlawfull wares, they, the said wares, to bee reteyned as forfeited,
and the forfeitures thereof as of any other arising by any of the said articles herein mentioned to be
disposed of as followeth, \iz., the one moietie to the kinge's majestic, his heires and successors,
27'2 HEXHAM KOROUGH.
lordes of the s'' manner and bonough, and tlie other moietie to the common use of the fellowshipp
and company of the sayd trayd.
4. Item. Iff any of the sayd company shall hinder or lett the searchers, or any of them, m such
there seaich or seizure or other lawful! execution of there s'' office of searchers, every person soe
offending to forfeit iii' iiii'' for every such offence. And if the sayd searchers, or any of them, shall
neglect to make search every twentie dales, everie of the said searchers to forfeit twelve pence.
5. Item. That none of the sayd fellowshipp shall take any apprentice to serve him for any lesse
tearme then for the tearme of seaven yeares at the least, upon paine of fforfeiting of ffortie shillings.
6. Item. That none of the sayd trayd or occupation shall take any apprenticies but one att a
tyme and noe more untill three yeares of his last taken apprentice bee e.xpired, upon paine to fforfeitt
fortic shillings.
7. Item. That every one of the s'' fellowshipp that taketh any apprentice shall, at the next
Whittson tuesday of such apprentice, present the s'' apprentice to the alderman, steward, and
fellowshipp of the said traid att there usuall place of meeting and bringe the indentures of y"
aprentiship to bee inrolled in the common booke kept for that purpose; and if any of the s'' company
doe not present his new taken apprentice accordingly, hee shall forfeit and pay six shillings eight
pence for every such offence, and that every apprentice shall pay ii' vi'' for the inrolling of his said
indentures, and noe more.
8. Item. That none shall bee made free butt att the gennerall meeting upon Whittson tuesdaie,
and the parties that is made free to pay for the entrie of his freedome onely iii' iiij", and that if any
apprentice be lawfully convicted of fellony or pettie larconie hee shall not bee made free in the sayd
tovvne.
9. Item. That none of the sayd fellowshipp, being a young man, and a new setter upp, shall
take any apprentice before hee shall have kept shop three whole yeares, upon paine of fortie shillings.
10. Item. If any of the s*" fellowshipp doe retu'-n or assigne the yeares or service of his
apprentice, either to the apprentice himselfe or any other, that the maister soe returneing or
assigneing his s'' apprentice shall not take a new apprentice to serve him untill the yeares which his
apprentice was to serve him bee by course of law expended, upon paine of twcntie shillings for every
offence.
11. Item. That noe apprentice to the said occupation shall buy his yeares of apprentishipp, nor
sett upp a shopp to traid as a free brother of the said company, untill hee have served forth his
yeares, upon paine of ffortie shillings to bee fforfeited by the maister, and three pounds six shillings
eight pence by the apprentice offending therein.
12. Item. That none of the sayd fellowshipp shall set any apprentice to any maister whoe
setteth him or them on woike shall first bringe him or them to the alderman and stewards of the
sayd traid for the tyme being to discerne whether they bee sufficient to bee kept on worke in the
sayd towne or noe, upon paine of ffortie shillings for every such default.
13. Item. That noe younger brother of the sayd fellowshipp shall place or sett upp his stall or
booeth in the market place of the sayd borrough above his antient brother of the sayd fellowshipp,
but shall sett upp his stall or booeth amongst his sayd bretheren in there accustomed standing place,
upon paine of two shillings for every such offence.
14. Item. That none of the sayd company, either upon ffaire dales or markett dales, shall sett
forth his wares to sell butt in or upon one shopp or stall, upon paine of two shillings for every such
default.
15. Item. That noe man of the sayd trayd shall open any w-ares to sell upon the usuall faire
dayes or markett dayes before eleaven of the clocke, upon paine of fforfeiting three shillings foure
pence.
16. Item. That noe foreyner, not having beene an apprentice to the said traid in the s** towne,
nor haveing formerly compounded to become a brother of the said company in the s'' tow'ne, shall
keep or sett upp shopp or use the said traid within the s'' towne of Hexham, upon paine of fforfeiting
of twenty shillings for every nioneth hee shall soe keep shopp, or exercise the s'' traid in the s"" towne.
And that the alderman and stewards of the s"* traid for the tyme being taking there assistance the
HISTORY OF THE nOROUGH. 273
duputie bayliffe of the s'' mannor, or the sergeant or ministers of the s'' courte, or some of them, and
soe many of the s'' company and fellowshipp as shall be thought requisite, shall and may shutt upp
the shopp and keep the same barred and shutt upp, not permitting him or them to keep any shopp or
exercise the s'' traid in the s'' towne. And if the alderman and stewards of the s'' company shall
permitt any foreyner to keep shopp or exercise the said traid in the s'' towne one moneth, they
haveing knowledge thereof, the s'' alderman and stewards to fforfeit ffortie shillings for every such
default. And every of the s'' company being called to assist the s'' alderman and stewards, and
refusing to come to assist them, shall forfeit tenn shillings. And that noe man bee admitted to bee a
freeman in the s'' company upon any composition except they have served seaven yeares an appren-
tice att the said trayd.
17. Item. Iff any person or persons being not a free brother of the sayd company, or not
haveing served as an apprentice in the said traide for the space of seaven yeares, shall buy any sheep
skynnes, lambe skynnes, kid skynnes, or other skynnes, within the s'' towne proper to and for the
said traid and occupation, contrary to the law and statutes of this realme, and that the stewards of the
s"' fellowshipp (for the tyme being) shall dilligently attend and enquire thereof, and cause such
skynnes to be seized, and prosecute against the offenders for such fforfeiture as by the lawes and
statuets of this realme is or shal be thereby forfeited. And if the forfeiture bee thereupon attained,
the benefitt thereupon arising shal bee to and for the common use of the s'' fellowshipp, and they
supply the common charge of such suits. And if the stewards for the tyme being shall bee remiss
and negligent therein, for every such offence committed and not seized by them, if they shall have
reasonable knowledge thereof by any brother of the said fellowship, they shall forfeit three shillings
four pence.
iS. Item. That such person as shall for the tyme being bee elected and used for the common
officer or minister to warne the bretheren of the sayd company to meet att there usuall place of
meeting, shall dilligently give sufficient warneing either to every perticular brother of the said
company, or else leave express note in writing or by worde of mouth, att his or there house, of the
day and tyme of the assemblie appointed, upon paine of ffour pence for every such default.
19. Item. Iff any of the sayd fellowshipp bee lawfully warned to meet att any assembly
appointed by the alderman and stewards for any affaires of the said fellowshipp, touching and
concerneing the same, shall not come and bee reddy there att the tyme appointed, butt absent
himself, shall at the next assemblie, except he can show a reasonable cause or occasion of such his
absence, forfeit twelve pence for every such his absence or offence.
20. Item. That none of the said fellowshipp in there assemblies, att there usuall place of
meeting, shall revile, miscall, or in wordes abuse one another. Iff any doe offend therein the
alderman and stewards for the tyme being shall and may committ him or them soe offending to the
sergeant or minister of this courte, to bee imprissoned for the space of six houres or under, and alsoe
to impose a fyne upon him or them soe offending, so the same doe not exceed three shillings ffoure
pence for an offence.
21. Item. Iff any brother of the said fellowshipp shall wilfully denie and refuse the performance
of the orders abovesaid, or shall not paie to the handes of the said alderman and stewards for the
tyme being all such summes of money and forfeitures hee or they shall forfeit or bee according to the
orders abovesaid imposed upon them within twentie dales after demand thereof by the common
maister of the said fellowshipp, or upon demaund by any two bretheren of the said company att any
gennerall assemblie appointed to bee collected of the ffynes or pennalties to bee forfeited upon
breach or not performance of the orders above said ; or if any brother of the said company shall
refuse to contribute such summe or summes of money as hee or they shall by the alderman, stewards,
and fellowshipp, or most of them att any assemblie bee assessed to pay, that every such offender
shall for every such offence shall forfeitt twentie shillings. Moreover, that it shall bee lawfull to and
for the said alderman and stewards of the said fellowshipp, with the assistance of such of the company
as they shall call and other the kinge's officers there, to shutt upp the shopp windo\ves of such
offenders, and to prohibitt and not to allow him or them to buy or sell within the said towne untill hee
or they shall satisfie and pay the said ffyne assessed upon them.
Vol. III. 35
2 74
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
22. Item. That none of the said fellowshipp or foreyner shall buy for any merchant of the towne
of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the absence of the merchant or of his apprentice any sheep skynnes, fell
skynnes, lambe skynnes, mort skynnes, or shearelings, or any other skynnes brought to the s"" markett
to bee solde as factor for them before one of the clocke in the afternoon ; but if any of the said
company will, hee may have opporlunitie to buy them. And that they shall in noewise forestall the
said markett or ingrosse the commodilies abovesayd, but buy them in open markett upon paine of
fforfeiting vj' viij'' for every such offence.
23. Item. That the moietie or halfe parte of the sayd ffynes, amercyaments, and fforfeites to
arise by breach or not performing the sayd orders and constitutions abovesayd, or any of them, shal
bee forfeited and paid to the kinges most excellent majestic, his heires, and successors, lordes of the
sayd mannor and towne of Hexham, and the other moietie to the generall and common use of the
sayd fellowshipp. And that the alderman, stewards, and ministers shall receive and collect the same,
and shall every feast day of St. Michael the archangell give and yeild a perfect accompt before the
said company, or some fifoure of them, for that purpose to be assigned, and that the summes soe by
them received, or which they might with convenience have received upon the sayd accompt remaining
in there handes, shall within twentie dales next after the said feast bee payd to the succeeding
alderman and stewards to bee kept for the use of the sayd fellowshipp. And if default of payment
thereof it shall bee la\\ful for the succeeding alderman and stewards, with the assistance of the sayd
company and his majestie's officers in the said towne, to shutt upp the shopp window, and to prohibitt
and not permitt him or them that soe ought to pay such summe, to sell any wares either upon any
stall in the same markett or faires or in his shopp till hee or they have satisfied all such summes and
arreages as hee or they have received or ought to have payd ; and that if any some or forfeiture
cannott bee obtained by the meanes abovesaid, the same shall att the next head courte of the sayd
mannor be presented by the alderman and stewards, or some other of the said company to the jury
of the said borrough, to the end the same may bee estreeted and levied, and the one moietie there
by them delivered for the use of the said company, the other moietie reteyned for the use of the
kinges majestic, his heires, successors, or assignes, lordes of the sayd mannor for the tyme being.
(Signed as an attested copy in 1681 with names of borough jury.)
As the skinners and glovers formed the most important of the Hexham
guilds, it is only reasonable to suppose that the other companies were formed
upon the same model. They also, in all probability, had as their chief
officers an alderman and two stewards, elected every year, to preside at the
quarterly meetings of the company and conduct its government. They
also were, no doubt, provided with regulations as to the apprentices, and
employed searchers to ascertain whether the trade of the company was
being carried on legitimately, and to preserve the monopoly. It is known
that the Tanners' company was officered by an alderman, two sealers, and six
wardens, and that in the year 1708 there were fifty-seven freemen belonging
to it.'
It will be seen from the preamble to the above rules that the privileges
claimed by the free companies had been called in question, and the object
they aimed at in drawing up the rules was to obtain a confirmation of their
' Dobson, Contributions to Local History, p. 3. Until quite recently a book of orders of the Tanners'
company (1583-1786) was preserved at the Manor office, Hexham; but it appears to have been lost, and
all efforts to trace it have failed.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 275
legal privileges from the lord of the manor, and the borough jury. In 1755,
after the passing of the Act for the division of Hexham common, the free
companies claimed a share of the East and West commons, on which they
declared they had rights of pasture. In their case, submitted to counsel,
they acknowledged that Hexham was not a corporate town, but they asserted
that they had enjoyed the right of common without interruption from
time immemorial. ' It was granted that persons who had served a legal
apprenticeship to any of the trades above mentioned, and who rented a
house having a right of common, had and held that right ; but that as they
had not claimed before the Act was passed, and as no clause favourable to
their claim had been inserted in the Act, it was adjudged that they had lost
their right, or that it could only be redeemed at an expense greater than
the common of pasture would be worth. '^
Local Government.
The part actually taken by the guilds in the government of the town
cannot now be ascertained. That they enjoyed a preponderating influence
in local affairs seems certain from the nature of some of the orders issued
by the borough jury, and it is even likely that the franchise belonged
exclusively to the freemen of the companies. As the chief town in a manor,
Hexham occupied a somewhat peculiar position, and its local government
must have been largely influenced by this circumstance. There are no
records dealing with Hexham town exclusively before the seventeenth
century, but for this period the borough jury books aff"ord a large amount
of information.
The precise nature of the borough jury will be best explained by the
extracts which follow. It seems clear that although Hexham was onlv a
part of the manor of Hexhamshire, it possessed a separate court of its own as
indeed did all the other sub-divisions of the regality, and that while admis-
sions and surrenders and all transfers of property were transacted at a
central Court Baron for the whole district, the other business of the shire,
chiefly of a criminal character, was performed in the lesser courts.^ The
Hexham borough jury consisted of twelve persons, the usual number in a
' Wright, History of Hexham, pp. 107, 108.
" The courts of a manor were two : the Court Baron and the Court Leet. At the former, where two
freeholders at least were required, civil business was transacted, and the suitors were the judges. The
Court Leet was presided over by the bailift' or steward, and the business transacted was of a criminal
character. It was not at all unusual for the two courts to be confounded (Selden Soc. vol. ii. p. xix.),
though in Hexham, apparently, this was not the case.
276 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Court Leet, who were chosen by the lord of the manor, or his representative,
and over whom the bailiff or steward of the manor presided. All questions
of police and local government came before this body, which, while it sat,
was the chief administrative authority in the town. As it was only in session
twice a year, at the times when the manorial courts were held, one of the
most important duties of this jury was to preside at the appointment of the
local officials.
The most important body of these local officials was the four and
twenty. As its name implies, it consisted of twenty-four persons, selected
in rotation from among a limited number of townsmen (? freemen of the
companies), six being chosen from each of the wards. Market stead, Gilligate,
Priestpopple, and Hencoats. The following extract explains their position
and chief duties, and gives the names of those who held the office in 1661 :
We present and order that those whose names are under written, are to lay on all assessments as
formerly hath been accustomed to be done by the foure and twentie to the uttmost of their understanding,
skill, and knowledge. And that from tyme to tyme, when and as often as occasion shall require, they
advise with Mr. Patricke Crow, balifife of this towne, in all such matters and busynesse as shall be
thought fitt, expedient, and beneficiall for the good and benefitt of the towne of Hexham, for his help
and assistance, in whatsoever the said bailiffe shall be desyred by the foure and twentie now appointed.
And that they shall from tyme to tyme, and as often as occasion shall require, meet together at the
appointment of the bailiffe aforesaid, upon notice or warneing given by the constables. And shall meet
at all other tymes when and as often as any eminent occasion shall offer it selfe, upon notice given by the
constables aforesaid. And that they and everye of them shall be sworne immediately after the giveing
in of this verdict to execute and faithfully to performe the tenor and effect of this present order, every one
refuseing to take his place and thereunto to be sworne, to be amercyed unto the lord vi" viii''. And that
the seauerall assessments so to be layd on as aforesaid from tyme to tyme shall be paid by the seauerall
inhabitants of this towne and the pi-ecyncts thereof, as they are duely taxed and assessed by the foure and
twentie. Euery one refuseing to pay his sesse to be amercyed iii* iiii''.
The Names of the Foure and Twentie.
Market! steed ward. Gylegate ward. Priestpople ward. Hencotts ward.
George Allgood John Bell, tanner Thomas Gibson Richard Gibson
William Hutchinson Martyn Dickinson Anthony Sharpe Hector Robson
Richard Parker Edward Smith Peter Yealdert William Caward
Edmund Liddle Christopher Dickinson James Wainman Edward Rowland
Cuthbert Bell John Hearon, jun. John ffarlam Thomas Little
[vacant] Matthew Johnson John Cooke, glasier Matthew Cragg '
The duties of the four and twenty were evidently extensive, though they
are somewhat vaguely set down. Upon all matters that might arise in
connection with the administration of the borough, they were first to be
consulted. This clearly appears in 1634:
We order that whatsoever occasion or business is or shalbe befittinge or come ether for dividinge of
the commons or for anie other occasions belonginge to the towne that there shalbe fower and twentie of
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1661.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 277
the sufficient men in the towne to consider thereof, and whatsoever they doe we, the jurye at this tyme,
doth promise to allowe of with the assistance of the officer and these fower and twentie shall not deny to
do ther help and assistance therin whatsoever shalbe lawfully desired them to agree of upon paine to
forfeitte vis. viiid., being lawfully warned by the constables upon every one of them offending therin.'
Though they were principally deputed to assist the bailiff of the manor,
yet they were also liable to be called upon to help the churchwardens/ and,
in fact, their power of assessment, in other words the power of the purse,
gave them a great influence in the conduct of the aff"airs of the town.
The executive officers of the borough were the following, those here
named being the persons selected in the year 1661 :
Markett steed. Gilligate. Priestpople. Hencotts.
Constables for the year ... William Thomson Richard Wainman Anthony Stokoe Michael Hydon
Markett keepers, apprizers,
& sealers ... ... William Robson (ierard Yearow William Stokoe Thomas Little
Ale tasters for this year ... Nicholas Dixon Jude Kirsopp John Aydon MartynErrington
Afifearers ... ... John Tait John Bell John Soulbie Hector Robson
Surveyors of highways ... William Hutchinson William Bell Benony Gibson John Bell, carpenter
Allerkeepers for the Tyne greene : Thomas Charleton, George Thompson, Thomas Hutchinson, &
ffranke Dixsen. Allerkeepers for the quicksand ford: Hugh Drurey and Nicholas Yealdert.'
The constables were the most important of these officials. They were
charged with the maintenance of good order in the town, and were required
to present all offenders at the annual courts, to be dealt with by the jury.
Only special offences, which were the peculiar province of the other officers
mentioned above, were outside their jurisdiction. They were obliged to see
that the orders given by the borough jury were effectually carried out, and
to enforce the penalties for disobedience. These orders referred not to
petty criminal cases or misdemeanours so much as to the sanitary regulations
of the town, the repair of streets and houses, and, in short, all the matters
with which the borough jury was called upon to deal. The extracts here
given will illustrate a few of the manifold duties of the constables :
We find that the fower constables shall take fower sufficient neighboures and lay on a sufficient
seisement for the buildinge of a stone pinfold in Preistpople ward, and another in Gilligate neere the
accustomed place, and that the neighbours of Preistpople and Hencoats hall build Preistpople fould, and
Markett steed and Gillygate the other.'
We present and order that the foure constables of this towne shall out of the townes charge, amend
and repaire the bridges in Gilligate imedieatly after the giueing of this verdict. And that they shall
cause the burne race betwixt Wm. Coulson's house and the Bowbridge to be scoured that the water may
have a currant passage, betweene the giveing in of this verdict and kandlemasse next, upon paine of
vi' viii'', each of them herein neglecting.^
' Hcxitntu Manoy Rolls, Borough Book, 1634.
- In i6gg they decided upon the manner in which the church registers were to be kept, and compelled
Ritschell to submit. Ritschell was also informed that he must not meddle with repairs to the church,
but leave that to the four and twenty. See Cliurchwardens' Books for that year.
'Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1661. * Ibid. 1634. ^ Ibid. 1661.
278 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Duties so onerous were apt to be neglected, and the borough jury was some-
times called upon to punish those who had not performed all that they had
been instructed to do.
We fynd the paine broken in John Ellott, Tho. Leadbitter, Jn. Cooke, & Tho. Little, constables for
the yeare 1659, for that they have not caused an assessment to be laid on, and hyred workmen for to face
with a stone wall that pArt of the street betweene the Bowbridge upwards unto John ffarlamb's house in
the burne side, the which said street is become soe ruinous and in soe great decay that a cart or wayne
cannot passe that way without great danger, and therfor according unto the said verdict amercyed each
of them xiii" iiii'' for euery of their neglects herein. And that the now constables, with the assistance of
two or three in euery ward, shall lay on assessment to do the same accordingly by the sight and view of
two neighbours of every ward before S' James faire next upon paine of xiii' iiii'\ euery one of them
neglecting herein : to be repaired with a stone wall as afoi-esaid.'
Note by the affearers : We acquit them because they had noe monie in their handes to doe the
worke with.
Undoubtedly many men would have refused to undertake so great a
responsibility had not the law obliged them to serve when called upon to do
so, under pain of a fine. As some compensation for the labour they were
bound to undergo, their dignity was fully hedged about and protected, and
punishments were distributed, not onlv to those who assaulted them, but
even to those who simply abused them."
The affearers, mentioned above, performed the task of revising the list
of fines imposed by the borough jury, and of regulating their amount,
according to any e.xtenuating circumstances that might come to their know-
ledge, or in relation to the propertv of the persons convicted. As in the
above mentioned case, they might even remit the fine altogether.
In some cases, however, the powers of the affearers were restricted.
We present William Robson, tailor, for refuseing to take his oath for the executeing of the place of a
niarkett keeper, contrary to all former verdicts, and therefor amercyed according to the former verdict
vj' viij'', and the former verdict requires that this presentment be not afifeared.'
The allerkeepers were charged with the duty of protecting the trees on
the Tyne green and at the quicksand ford. These trees were chiefly alders,
and hence the title of the ofiicials. They were requii'ed to present at the
manor courts all persons found cutting the trees, without licence, who were
fined 3s. 4d. for each off"ence.
In 1678 four common keepers were appointed, 'for preserving the
heather and grass upon the commons, and freeing the town from inmates,
and preserving the East common from being overstocked.'^ The exact
' Hcxiiam Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1661.
'' Hugh Sparke for abuseing Edmund Liddle, constable of Markett steed ward, vj* viij-'. Ibiii.
^ Ibid. 1680. ' Ibid. 1678. Inmates are persons living in the house of another, who are not able
to support themselves.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 279
nature of the duties of the market keepers, ale tasters, and surveyors of
highways are not stated anywhere in the existing Borough Books, but the
names themselves indicate the character of their respective offices.
Besides these honorary officials there were lesser functionaries, who had
important duties to perform in the town. These were the pounder, the
wait, the herd, and the scalerakers. The duties of the pounder were sub-
sidiary to those of the constable. He was expected to impound stray cattle,
and cause the owners to be presented at the next court. As payment he
received a toll in corn, which was therefore called pounder corn, as well
as a certain quantity of hay. The exact duties of this official are shown by
the following presentments :
Presentments by the pounder of Gilligate. s. d.
Tho. Jefferson for letting his garth dyke He dovvne ... ... ... ••• 2 o
Nich. Dixon, glover, Jn. Robson, Jn. Yealdert, Isaac Armestronge, for the same, each 1 o
Jn. Pynte for breakeinge the locke of the haugh yeat ... ... ... ••• i o
Tho. ffenwicke, jun., for refuseing to give the pounder of Gilligate his pounder come 3 4
Jn. Sparke for 2 unbowed and unringed swyne trespassing in his neighbour's ground 2 o
Tho. Jefferson, Nich. Dixon, Jn. Snawdon, Geo. Allgood, Jas. Oliver, Mary Maughen,
for I swine, each ... ... ... ... ... ... ... i o'
A pounder was appointed by the borough jury in 1661, and this is
doubtless only one instance of numerous similar appointments.
We order that Geo. Richinson shall be pounder for Gilligate feilds and the towne haugh, and shall
have the benefitt of the same in as large and ample manner as Rowland Lishman formerly had, the same
with the pounder corne and hay, where it hath beene formerly due, and that the said pounder shall be
enjoyned either to bring goods to the fold or else to pay the damage himself "
Another pounder was appointed for the East fields in the same year, with a
similar privilege of exacting tolls of corn and hay. It seems clear that at
least two of these pounders were employed in Hexham at the same time.
They belonged to a lower class than the officials before mentioned, the
distinction being chiefly marked by the payment they received for discharg-
ing their duties.
In the year 1680 the borough jury elected a wait.
We present & order that Thomas Hill, pyper, shall be the towne's waite untill the next head court,
provided he be very diligent, ready, & willing to waite upon the towne, & not to departe out of it &
remaine in the countrey aboue a week's time ; and that he shall be ready to serue the towne both at the
mending of the high waies, ridding of fairs & commons, or for any publicke service that he shall be called
unto by the constable or other chief officer of the towne when occasion requires.^
His presence was expected upon all public occasions, and he had to
exercise his calling at ordinary times. His instrument may have been the
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1661. - Ibid. ^ Ibid. 16S0.
28o HEXHAM ' rtOROUGH.
Northumberland small pipes, though in other parts the waits used a hautboy.'
He was not always intended only to serve these lighter purposes, for in 1665 a
wait was appointed whose functions as indicated in the following order, were
rather those of a watchman than a piper :
We, the burrow jurie of Hexham for the tyme being, have beene diverse tymes, and especially at this
tyme desired to consider the good and benefit of the whole towne in generall. And whereas seuerall
addresses and motions haue beene propounded and moued unto us for the constituteing and appointing
them a waite, for the better stirring up their servants and apprentices to their labour and imployment,
urgeing the custome and practise of other good townes (as laudable in this particular; unto us. We
therefor order and & present Tho. Patteson to be waite and servant to this towne, and soe to continue
untill the next court, and untill another be appointed in his roome ; and that he shall goe about the towne
once euery night, betvveene the houres of seaven & nyne a clocke at night, and euery morneing betweene
three and fine of the clocke, playing upon some audible musicall instrument, and shall often as he goeth
alonge salute the people, acquainteing them with the tyme of the night and morneing, and what weather
then blowes, and thus shall he continue betweene Michaelmasse & Kandlemasse, and in all other things
shall carefully & honestly demeane himselfe in the said service in as large and ample manner as others
who have had the same office haue formerly done ; and if any great complaint against him shall be, that
the same be referred unto the lord of this mannor to be ordered by his discretion. In lieu & considera-
tion of such his said seruice, all other pipers and musitions whatsoeuer shall be debarred from playing in
this towne in any companie or at any meeting whatsoeuer, unlesse they first compound with him for the
same, and in case they will not take a discharge from him, that then the constable bringe them before
the balifle of this towne for such their contempt ; and that the said Tho. Patteson shall haue the
accustomed benevolence of euery neighbour in this towne at the Christmasse tyme as other waits haue
formerly had; and that y'' constables shall out of the townes charge buy him a red coat, which he shall
weare at meetings as the townes liuerie ; and we hereby request the lord of this manner to bestow upon
him the cognisanze that formerly John Blakelocke had bestowed upon him that he may be knowne from
others to be the lord of the manners servant, and the townes servant, and thus shall he continue to be
the townes waite, quamdiu bene se gesserit.'
A herd was appointed in 1695, most probably to look to the cattle
kept on the common, and to see that the regulations dealing with the stints
were properly observed. It was also proposed that a house should be built
for him on the common.'
The scalerakers seem, at least in name, to have been peculiar to
Hexham. They are specially mentioned in the survey of 1608, as four
persons who were charged with keeping the market place clean, and paving
100 yards of causey either within or without the town for a toll taken upon
every sack of corn brought into the market.^ The name scaleraker itself is
descriptive of their duties, for scale means to disperse, '^ while to rake is
to gather together, and these people would rake up the ofFal, etc., which had
'scaled' during the market time. The toll they exacted upon the corn
' Busby, Diet, of Music. ' Every one for their ain hand, like the pipers o' Hexham', is or was a local
proverb. Dcniiam Tracts, Folk Lore Soc. i. p. 279.
^ Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1665. ^ Ibid. 1695. ' Supra, p. 104.
^ Heslop, Northumberland Words.
HISIORY OF THE BOROUGH. 28 I
seems to have been considered a vexatious impost by many of the inhabi-
tants of the town, who tried in various ways to avoid payment, and in many
cases refused to pay their toll, so that at length the borough jury was
compelled to take the matter up, and declare that there were to be no
exemptions from this toll on any pretext whatever.
Whereas there is a company of poore people within this tovvne called sckalerakers or scavengers who
once euery week sweep & make clean the markett place, pave and repair seuerall causeys and laines in &
about this towne, for which time out of mind they have had & taken the tolle corne in kind — (to witt) :
the eighty parte or fewer score parte of all sorts of graine that comes to this markett or towne to be sold,
and whereas of late seuerall persons refuse to pay the same, pretending & saying that they are fifree-
holders & ought not to pay any such tolle, with such like vaine, frivilous, & insignificant pretences &
excuses, and to encourage such persons soe refuseing to pay the said tolle to continue & persist in their
obstinacy some of the inhabitants of this said towne, especially those to whose houses the country people
bring & sett up their corne, doe persuade & informe them that they need not pay the same, and doe
threaten the said scalerakers (when they goe into their houses where such corne is sett up and sold to
demand & take the said tolle as formerly they hnue done) that they will indict them and sue them, which
is a great discouragement & prejudice to the said scavengers and a meanes to bring the said tolls to
nothing. It is, therefore, at this court, thought fitt & ordered, that noe person or persons whatsoeuer,
inhabiting within this said towne or the precincts thereof, shall permitt & suffer any person or persons to
sett up any manner of corne within his or their houses without paying the said tolle corne due & accus-
tomed, upon paine that as well such inhabitant where such towne shall be sett up as the seller thereof
shall forfeit to the lord of this mannor 6' S"^ for euery offence or neglect respectively.'
One of the scalerakers fulfilled the office of bellman in the market
place, ringing the ' corn bell ', which was the signal for the trafficking to
begin. He was obliged to perform his full share of the work as scaleraker,
and his duties as bellman were in addition to this. The following extract
contains a few more details about these peculiar town servants :
We order those whose names are underwritten — to witt : Catherine Croser, Eliz. Johnson, .■\nas
Leadbitter, Isabell Adeson, Mabell Bunton, John Liddell, Robt. Liddell, John Charleton, Thomas
Leenwood, sen., Ann Robson, Jane Chicken, Rob. Hutchinson, Jane Younger, Alex. Maughen, Anne
Bateson, Jane Cooke, Rob. Dridon, Alice Millner, Thos. Caward, and Jane Johnson, shall be scalerakers
for the yeare and untill the next court, and that they shall sweepe and make cleane the markett place
once everye weeke, upon paine to be put out of their places upon complainte made by any of the
constables unto the baiiiffe of this towne. And that they shall enter their bonds unto the surveyors for
the paveing and performcing their seaverall proportions. And that Geo. Yearow shall have the bellman-
shipp for this yeare, and a part with ye scaldrakers for himselfe, he performeing his full proportion of the
worke with the rest aforenamed, and that they shall performe and make ye worke before Whittsunday
next, upon paine to lose their places, and that the surveyors shall set them forth their worke seauerally
for paucing before Easter next or thereabout, that they may have tyme sufficient for the performeing the
same, upon paine of xx' every surveyor for his neglect herein."
A new duty was added to the office of scaleraker in 1678, when they
were ordered to place flakes or hurdles in the market, once every week.'
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, i6So. ^ Ibid. 1661. ' Ibid. 1678.
Vol. III. 36
282 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
The office of overseer was created by a statute, 43 Elizabeth, c. 2., but no
mention is made of these officials in the Borough Book till the year 1674,
when their nature and duties are defined. They were to be householders,
and selected one from each ward of the town. They were to act with the
churchwardens who were the custodians of the charities, etc. Their chief
duty was to keep a register of all jDoor and needy persons within their
district and to make an estimate 'of what may be thought reasonable to keep
them monethly.' For the purpose of providing this reasonable subsistence
they had power to assess and tax, monthly or weekly, every inhabitant,
' parson or vicar, owner or occupier, tythes impropriate and their impro-
priators, coal mines, underwoods, etc' The children of these poor persons
were to be apprenticed at the cost of the town. Another order, issued by
the borough jury of this year directed that henceforward the churchwardens
were to be chosen by the minister, the overseers, and the outgoing church-
wardens.'^
One of the principal duties of the officers above mentioned was the
exaction of fines for various breaches of the borough by-laws. Some
specimens of these fines, extracted from all parts of the manor rolls, are here
given :
Selection from Amerciaments by the Borough Jury.
Wm. Dawson for letting his swine goe abroode
Robert Robson, under the Cragg, for his swine unringed
Robert Hucheson for macking a scappe in the fogge ^
John Hucheson for letting a beast goe longer than it ought to goe in the neitheir
feild
Milles Pearson for teathering in the feild ...
Geo. Uunglese for an outlaw amongst the towne
John Hemslay for cutting of brume whar it is not allowed, in i
Wm. Currow for humleinge* unlawfully on the commone
Andrew Maydowell for his forefront
Geo. Pearson for his backfront
Geo. Duglesse for letting a yate lye downe at the stokewell
Andrew Maydowell for a rescue
Tho. Chickine a fald brust
Geo. Duglese for an overstinte' with his kyne in the haugh
Ric. Chawelton for driveing through Acam feild to Fallowfield
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1674. ' Manor Rolls, passim.
' i.e., letting his cattle escape into the fog field.
' Humleinge is to break stones, or to break off the beards from barley with a flail. Heslop, Xorllium-
herland Words, sub voce, ' humel.'
' .■\n overstint is the offence of putting more cattle, etc., on the common than the tenant is allowed to
have there. A stint is an allowance of pasture.
the feild of Acam.
s.
d.
0
4
0
2
I
0
0
6
0
6
6
8
0
6
0
6
I
0
I
0
0
4
3
4
J
4
I
0
I
0
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH, 283
s. d.
John Chicken for his decke ' lying downe ... ... ... ... ... i o
Nicholas Ridley for cutting of wood ... ... ... ... ... i o
Tho. Vealdcrt for defalt in his hedges ... ... ... ... ... 3 4
The. Ilediee for takeing of water wracke'"' ... ... ... ... ... 3 4
Nicholas Ridley for a night laire ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 4
Elizabeth Smith, spinster, for a scold, amerced ... ... ... ... 6 8
Tho. Hutchinson for cutting allers in the Tyne green ... ... ... 13 4
Wm. Kell for bating ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 4
Edw. Kell for deeging nj) John Hemsley's meddow ... ... ... ... o 4
Some other fines levied under the authority of the borouj^h jury are
also curious.
We renew a former order made at the last court, that if anie two women within the towne and
burrough of Hexham doe balle or scould with anie undecent and uncomelye speeches on against the other,
either in open streets or in anie house att anie time, and they or them soe doeinge shall be amerced
vi" viii'' for everie defaulte soe made, and that the constables shall see this order inviolablelye kept, and
to levie the said fine for the lord's use or else to piesent it att the next court. ^
Puritan ascendancy during the Commonwealth period left its mark upon
the borough in the shape of stricter regulations for the observance of Sunday
than had been in force before that time.
We lay a paine of ii* that none shall play att futbaile on the Sabbath day.'
This order was made in 1647, and in 1656, when the government of Cromwell
was at its height, one Thomas Dawson Avas fined for a desecration of the
Sabbath.
We present Thomas Dawson of Garrets hill for hounding uppon the common on the Sabbath day,
according to a former paine amercyed xii''.''
The following case affords another instance of the powers of the
borough jurv as a Court Leet :
We present Rob. Dridon for couzenage in that he hath veiy dishonestly and cuningly cheated the
rest of his brethren, ye tollers, in takeing 2 pecks of bigg'^ of one man in the country, thereby promising
to free the said country man for a yeare afterward, and therefore amercyed vi' viii''. And that if any
further complaint be made against him, to be put out of his place, upon such complaint made.'
The punitive apparatus belonging to the town was carefully guarded,
repaired, and renewed by the same authority.
We present & order that the constables & surveyors at the towne's charge shall cause a dooking
stoole to be inade & placed at the place where the former stood, before Easter next.'
' Dyke.
° Wracke = branches, rubbish brought down by a swollen stream ; sea wreck is the weed, coal, wood,
etc., cast up on the beach.
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1637. * Ibid. 1647. * Ibid. 1656.
" Bigg = barley. See Northumberland Words. ' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1661.
'Borough Book, 1680.
284 HEXHAM BOROtTGH.
We present nntl fynd that whereas every corporation, brough, and towne are enioyned by the lawes of
this l-cyngdome to have a pound ouert and a paire of stocks, with diverse other necessary things, charged
upon euery towne and place of any worth, we therefor order (that for the preventing of penalities and
other inconveniences which may fall upon this our towne and burrow for the want of such necessaries)
that the seauerall constables of this towne shall cause the stocks to be repaired upon the townes charge,
with a locke for the same, and the same to be sett up in the markett steed, in the accustomed place. And
whereas the common pound in Priestpople is fallen downe and in great decay, we likewise order that the
same be enlarged, built, and repaired at the charge of the towne, and that the constables aforesaid shall
contract for and hyre the leading of stones for building and repaircing the same as aforesaid, and to hyre
a workman for effecting the same ; and allsoe that the seauerall bridges in Gillygate be amended and
repaired at the townes cost, that neighbours may passe and repasse to and from their houses without
danger, and that the said bridges be amended sufficiently betweene this and Christmas next, upon paine
of X' euery constable for his neglect herein ; and the stocks with the pinfold aforesaid to be repaired
before Candlemas next, upon the like paine.'
We present and order that the constables att the townes charge shall sett up a pillory in the markett
place, near the rogue post, before midsomer next, upon paine of vi" viii'' euery one neglecting herein.'
Sanitary regulations of all kinds form an important series among the
contents of the Borough Books. It is only necessary to give a selection from
the very large number therein contained.
We fynd the paine broken in John Clints for that he hath not taken away the chafife and rubish out of
the high street neare Bowbridge, whereby the said street and passage is become very myrie and dirtie,
he being thereunto enjoyned by a former verdict and therefor amercyd according unto the said verdict
vi' viii'' ; and that noe manner of persons for the tyme to come shall wynow any come of what kynde
soeuer in the said place neare Bowbridge, but after the same is soe wynnowed they shall imediately take
away the chafife, rubish, and strawe, that the street may be keept cleanely, soe as passingers passing to
and againe that way tnay without annoyance, upon paine of vi' viii'' euery one offending herein.'
We order that noe tanner or glover liveing and inhabitting above the west burne in Hencotts ward
shall emptie or cast forth any of their lyme pitts, dubbs, or baits betwixt four of the clocke in the morning
and five in the afternoone upon paine of vi' viii'' every one offending therein, but shall when need is
cleanse and emptie the said pitts after five of the clock at night that the same may run away in the night
tyme ; whereby the- inhabitants of this towne may have wholesome and cleane water for their severall uses
upon the like paine.'
We fynd that paine broken in Benony Gibson and John Sparke for that they have not scoured their
seughs by their close sydes in the clay pooIe, by neglect whereof the w-ater comeing that way is soe
obstructed that the highway is ouerrune with water and become very deep and noysome for neighbours
with their horses carrying mannure that way, and likewise for foot passingers and ther for amercyed
according to the former verdict each of them vi' viii''. And that they and either of them shall secure and
cleanse their sewghs soe as the water may haue a currant passage, and to take notice to performe ye
verdict made in the yeare 1659 in that behalf upon paine of vi' viii'' either of them neglect herein.'
We fynd that noe person or persons shall lay forth any manure or mucke or any other rubbish in the
markett place, or any other place within the streets of He.xham, whereby it may be prejudicial! to any
person, but to be caryed away within the space of 8 dayes at the furthest, upon paine of vi' viii'', and
likewise that all dungehills and mydings from the .Abbey gate throughout Market steed, St. Marye's
chaire, and Coastley raw to the Bowbridge shall be carryed away within 8 dayes after, upon the like
paine of vi' viii''."
' Borough Book, 1661.
= Ibid. 1688. The rogue post was a stake fixed in the ground to which thieves were tied when they
were flogged.
' /ff.v/ww A/«;;or 7v'o//s, Borough Book, 1661. ^ Ibid. ^ Ibid. 'Ibid.
HISTORY OF THE ROROUGH. 285
We present and order that noe inhabitant in or about this townc shall wash any puddings in the west
burne called ye Abbey garth burne or Cockshaw burne in Gilligate ward, or shall wash any fillthy thinge
in either of the same burnes but till they come below Geo. Lcadbitter's house, being the nethermost house
in the towne, upon paine of vi' viii'' every default. As allsoe that noe manner of person shall wash any
blacke woole in either of the said places upon tlie like paine.'
We find that noe inhabitante within the towne shall keep any swyne within the towne to goe abroad,
but shall keep them within there owne houses or garth and backe syde and not sufer them to goe abrode
upon paine to forfeit xii'' for every swyne taken goeinge abroade after Candlemas next, and that every
swyne soe found goeing abroade to be impounded by the pownders, and not to be releessed untill they
paie xii'', the one half to the pounder thother to the lorde of the manncr.-
From the nature of these orders, and the frequency with which they
are repeated, it is evident that He.xham of the seventeenth century was not
a cleanly or wholesome place, though probably it was no worse than similar
towns at that period.
After the outbreak of several destructive fires in the seventeenth
century, an attempt was made to introduce i-egulations which should protect
the inhabitants against the frequent recurrence of this scourge.
We renew the order made at the last court for preventing of danger which may happen by fire in
malt kilnes, and doe present that noe manner of person whatsoever, either haueing a malt kill of their
owne or letting the same to farme to any other, shall put in any fevvell for the drying of any malt in any
such kilne unlesse it be betweene foure of the clocke in the morneing and eight at night in the summer
tyme, and in the winter tynie from seaven a clocke in the morneing and untill fiue a clocke at night, upon
paine of xP.
We present & find that the seauerall bakehouses within this towne being built & placed in the
seauerall streets amongst thatched houses, are of very dangerous consequence unto neighboures about
them, and great harme & losse may happen to diuerse, by negligence of the owner & occupiers of them if
very great care be not taken for the preventing thereof; we therefor order that none of the said owners or
occupiers shall heat their ouens after people are gone to beds, that is to say from ten a clocke at night
untill foure of the clocke in the morneing, because if any danger should in that tyme happen (which God
defend), people being in beds are not in readynesse to make assistance or helpe, neither shall any of them
set their linge stacks in any street or among thatch houses, but shall set them at a distance fortie yeards
from any houses, and that those that haue malt kills shall set their stacks at the said distance, upon paine
of xiii' iiii''; and we appoint Cuthbert Bell, Jn. Gibson, Gerard Yearow, & Hen. Stokoe to be searchers of
the said kills & bakehouses & to se this order duely kept, & to present offenders at the next court. ^
A further important duty of the borough jury was to provide for the
repair and maintenance of the public thoroughfares, and public buildings,
with all kindred matters. These are provided for in numerous orders issued
from time to time.
We find that every inhabitant within the towne shall repaire there cawses and fruntes before ther
doores betwixt this and Easter next, upon paine of vi" viii'', and the connstables to take notice of the
necklects thereof; and that every dweller or householder shall every Saterday after noone dense and
swipe there cawsey before there doores according to a former verdict, upon paine of iiii*", eveiye defalt to
be levyed presently by the connstables, and the connstables to forfeitt xii'' for necklectinge therein, and to
take away there rubish presently after they have swipt them together, upon the like paine.*
' /ft-.v/inw Mi?)io;' i?o//s, Borough Book, i66r. ■ Ibid. 16^4. ^ Ibid. 166^. * Ibid. 16^4.
286 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
A fine was also levied in case of neglect to repair a causey when
necessary.
Rob. Dickinson, Wm. Stokoe, Tho. Raine, fined iii" iiii'' each, because they have not joined together
to make a causey.'
In cases of obstruction the borough jury had power to punish offenders
as w'ell as to issue orders prohibiting offences.
We find the paine broken in Tho. Adeson for that he hath not layd out and opened tlie loning at the
farr end of his pasture close adjoininj,' on Dillston parke wall, the same being allways a lonning and high-
way for the inhabitants of this towne to drive, lead, and carry any thinge to and from the east common,
the aforesaid inhabitants being greatly prejudiced by the stopping up the said way, he being enjoyned by
a former verdict to make up his hedge at the east end of his pasture close aforesaid in the ould dikesteed
where fonnerly it stood, and therefore amercyed xli'.-
An order made in 1665 forbade anyone to encroach upon the high-
ways with porches, etc' At the same time, the town as a whole undertook
a part of this work of repairing causeys, which was not entirely abandoned to
individuals. One hundred yards of the causeys were annually repaired by
the scalerakers, for the general benefit of the town. A further order in
1 66 1 provided for the repair of apparently the only alms house then existing
in the town :
We present and fynd that the 4 constables of this towne shall by vertue of this present order, wherein
we have had reference to an ancyent order at this court, in the yeare 1605, lay on an assessment through
the whole towne, by the assistance of the 24, for the repaireing of the almes house, especyallie the roofe
thereof, with what else shall be thought used full to be repaired by the discretion of the foure and twentie
aforesaid; and being soe repaired as aforesaid, there shall noe poore people be harboured, taken, or
received into the said house, but such as shall be thought meet, and such impotent and needful persons as
the 4 constables shall appoint to be lodged there; euery constable for the poore that shall come into his
ward, and this to be performed before Lammasse next, upon paine of vi' viii'' euery constable for his
neglect herein; and iii' iiii'' euery inhabitant refuseing to pay his sesse to the same, .^nd that the 4
constables shall veiw, enquire, and true presentment make at the ne,\t head court whether any person have
encroached and taken in the ground belongeing unto the said house where the stone stairs formerly
stood, upon the like paine of vi" viii'^.'
Water ways as well as land ways were under the jurisdiction of the jury,
as the following regulations show :
We order likewise that Jn. .Smith, tanner, shall build up his warrant before his ground in Tynker's
orchard as farr as his land reacheth, that the burne overfloweth the highway, and is very troublesome to
the high way between the Tyne greenes and the causey there, and therefor amercyed vi' viii''.
Christopher Dickinson for the like, vi' viii''.^
We renew the order of fformer courts that the surveyor and constable shall, att the towne's charge,
erect and make a weare or warren att the head of the high Tyne green to preserve the high way from the
water, on paine of 6' 8" each & every of them neglecting herein."
' Hexham Manor Rolls, horough Book, 1661. -Ibid. ' /6/rf. 1665. ' Ibid. 1661. ^ Ibid.
" Ibid. 1720.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 287
Strict regulations about tlic harbouring of vagrants and wandering
beggars have formed a part of the hiws of England ever since the days of
Henry I. All persons coming from other parts of the kingdom, and known
as 'foreigners'/ were looked upon with suspicion and dislike. Questions
relating to these 'foreigners ' were also dealt with by the borough jury and
their orders on this matter are frequently recurring in the borough jury
books.
We order that noe inhabitant within the towne of Hexham or the precynts thereof shall entertaine
any poore vagabond or begger into their houses any longer then 2 dayes ; because they may, and oft are
seene to be abusive and troublesome unto the towne by their bad carriage, upon paine of iii" iiii'' for euery
default. Nether shall any inhabitant in or about this towne entertaine and take to tenant any forraigne
inmate and cottager, by means whereof the towne may suffer predjuce and dammage, being bound to
maintaine such beggarly brood if they fall into pouertie, but that euery such inmate and cottager shall
first enter their bonds with surties for them unto the balifFe and constables for their good abeareing and
allsoe for keeping the towne harmelesse by them and their offspringe, upon paine of xl" euery such person
that shall entertaine any such forraigner contrarie to the tenor of this verdict, and the seauerall constables
are hereby required to be very diligent to enquire and present euery offender herein, upon paine of vi' viii''
for euery of their neglect. '
A similar order was issued again in i6S8. In 1661 one William Stokoe
had been convicted of having harboured a man named Richard Stampoe
before he had entered his bond for him for keeping the town harmless by
him, and was fined the full penalty of 40s.' A specimen of one of these
'foreigner's bonds' may prove interesting:
Foreigner's Bond.'
Novermt universi per presentes nos Barbariam Riddip de Hexham in coniitatu Northumbrie.
. . . Philippum Jeffeison et Wm. Hutchinson, de eadem teneri et firmiter obligari Joh. F'enwick
militi et bart. Domino regalitatis sive manerii de He.xham in xx" bone et legalis monete Anglie
solvendis eidem domino regi heredibus et successoribus suis, quam quidem solutionem bene et
fideliter faciemus obligainus nostros firmiter per presentes sigillis nostris sigillatis ; datum vi° die
Decembris, a.d. 1638. Anno domini nostri Caroli, etc., xiv°.
The condition of this obligation is such that whereas the above bounden liarbary Riddip, being a
forrayner and a stranger in the towne Hberties and regalitie of Hexham aforesaid, is comed into the said
towne to inhabit and dwell in a house of one Annas Stokoe, scituated within a streete there called
Gilligate, and is here as his tenant to the same for his fifarme or rent paying : nowe, forasmuch as the
said Barbary Riddip, by the costomes and'privilidg of this mannor and the court thereof, ought not to
reside nor make her abode or dwelling in the said libertie without lysence of the officer and inhabitants
of the said towne first obtained ; if she, therefore, the said Barbarye Riddip, shall and will well, honestly,
and truly demeane, carry, and behave herself in all things soe longe as she shall soe inhabitt and dwell
within the said towne and libertie aforesaid, soe as noe losse, damage, charg, or hindrance doe happen,
come, arise, and growe unto the said towne, parish, or liberties, or regalities aforesaid by her, the said
Barbary Riddip, her children, or other her familie, by any there meaner of meanes waies, or procureing,
either by over charging of the commons, moures, or pastures witli her cattle, or otherwise doe any act
contrary to the orders of court or custom of the said mannor ; and further, whenas the said Barbary
' The word outlandishman was employed for the natives of other countries.
■Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1661. ^IbitL 'Ibid.
288 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Ricklip is amynded and pleased to departe and goo out of the said iiiannor to dwall, doc then honestly
and quietly departe and goe fourth & from the said towne and libcrlie, according to the orders hertofore
in the head court or Court Leete for this said manner made in such behalfe, and according to the true
intent and meaning of the same order and euerie branch and article therof, that then this present obliga-
tion to be void, or ells the same to abide, remaine, and be in force, strength, & vertue.
Sealed, signed, & delivered in the presence of us— John Cooke, John fifetherson, Tho. Gibson.
Barbara Riddip, Philippe Jefferson, Wm. Hutchinson.
The mistrust of foreigners, and the generally hostile feelings entertained
by the inhabitants of Hexham against those who were not born in or near the
town, was by no means confined to those who were indigent. In fact, those
who were active and strong and well olf were looked upon with even greater
alarm, because they might become more dangerous by taking the local
industries out of the hands of the natives. The orders of the jury were
very precise on these points, and were framed with the design of pro-
tecting the inhabitants to the uttermost. Thus, no foreigner was allowed to
set up a stall or booth in the town except on market or fair days, or was
eligible to be appointed to any responsible office. No local tradesman
might take anv foreigner's son as an apprentice,' and none but inhabitants of
the town might work the slate quarries of Kaggonside.* The mere fact of
selling a commodity to a stranger before the townspeople were served was
an offence.
We present Ann Whitefourd of Corbridg for bu> ing of eggs and caring them to a nother place before
ye towne be served, and therefore amerced her f 4''.'
It was even unlawful to take the home produce to the market of Newcastle
or other towns, as appears by the following order :
We find that noe person shall buy anie tallowe of anie butcher or other person in this towne or
markett, and carrye the same to Newcastle or anie other place to sell the same againe, being hurtfuU to
the commonwealth upon paine of xx".'
A similar offence had been committed by one George Henderson in
1643, and he had to pay double the penalty set down above.
We present Geo. Henderson, glover, for buyinge of woylle of diuers seuerall inhabitants (being
glouers skyne woylle) and sellinge the same againe to Scots men (in the said towne of Hexham), and
never soe much as goeinge anie further with the same, and also for buyinge of fleece woylle of diuers
seuerall persons comeinge to the markett of Hexham, whereby noe man's wife or others can ether buy
anie of the said fleece woyle to mainelayne and releiue there household or familye to ther great losse &
hinderance, but also buyeth upp the same both in the countrey and in his owne house, and there selleth
the same to diuers & seuerall Scots men, contrary to the lawes & statutes of this realme ; and also to
the great losse & damage of his neighbours, and that nether he nor anie other inhabitant, ether glouer
or other shall doe the lil^e hereafter upon paine of xi'.''
' Hexham Muiwr Rolls, Borough Book, 1693.
"■Ibui.i6So. ' Ibid. 1-J20. * Ibid. ' Ibid. 1643.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 289
Even the stones and slates in the neighbourhig quarries were not to be sent
away from the district.
We present and finde tliat the quarryes belongeing to this towne are frequently abused by a companie
of incomeing labourers, wallers, and other workemen that ought not to be permitted nor suffered to digg
upp our stones and slates, selling them at their owne prices, not onely to the towne's people, but wining
them for country folkes, who ought not to have priuiledge in our quarries, for the preventing whereof for
the time to come we hereby order that noe workeman, whatsoever in this towne or out of the towne, shall
digg or wynn any sclates in any of the commons belongeing to this towne, and expose the same to sale to
any country man whatsoeuer, or shall winn them for hyre to any in the country whatsoeuer, unlesse it be to
such persons for building as Hue within the towne, and for the towne's use upon paine of fortie shillings
euery workeman, labourer, or other that shall presume to breake this present order ; and that this order
may be duely kept and observed, we appoint Wm. Smith, glouer, and Ric. Gibson, sen., Wm. Smith,
tanner, and Jn. Coulson to be quarry keepers, and to be very deligent to present offenders at the next
court.'
The worst offenders were apparently the Scots, who, after having
devastated the district with fire and sword from the thirteenth to the fifteenth
centuries, changed their tactics in the seventeenth century, and by their
thrift and frugality threatened to take away the trade of the town from its
inhabitants. Not content with quietly doing this, they openly proclaimed the
fact, and boasted of it. The borough jury took up this question with warmth
and decision, and issued a most stringent order against these interloping
'Scotch pedlars and petty chapmen':
Whereas of late yeares severall Scots pedlers and petty chapmen have come into this towne of
Hexham to reside, and theire do drive and cary one a trade not onely in the said towne, but they and
theire agents, seruants, or runners doe ride and goe up and downe the liberty and country carrying
packs, selling most sorts of waires and merchantdices by crying them in the streets and offering them
from dore to dore, to sell them up and downe the country, to the great loss & damage of the fremen and
shoppkeepers of the said towne of Hexham, insomuch that seuerall of the antient inhabitants theire
can scarce maintaine and relieve their famillies, and some of the said Scots are growne very insolent,
proud, haughty, and sawcy in theire carryage, behavour, and language to the said inhabitants that they
hector, domineare, and over runn the said townes men, telling them that they, the said Scotsmen, are the
chieff" pillars of the said towne, which is a great reflection upon, dishonour, scandell, and discredit to the
said towne and inhabitants theireof, for the prevention of such like practices for the futer, itt is thought
fitt & ordered that noe frehold, coppy holde, townesman or inhabitant of this towne of Hexham shall
demise or lett any house, roome, or chamber to, or permitt or suffer any Scots pedler to reside, inhabitt,
live, or dwell theirein, upon paine of xl' and mensein to be paid by the owner, tennant, or occuppier of
such house, etc., to be lett as aforesaid to y" lord of the said maner.^
At the same time that this order was published, all the old regulations
against foreigners were renewed.
As might be expected from the nature of the place, much of the atten-
tion of the borough jury was directed towards the regulation of the trade
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1693. The fines may have been inflicted rather as a punish-
ment for regrating or reselling, than because the articles were home produce. " Ibid.
Vol. III. 37
290 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
and industries of the town, and to ensuring the monopoly of the privileged
corporations, not only against foreigners but also against the townsmen who
were not members. In this way an order was issued to protect the places
occupied by the glovers' stalls from intruders.
We renew the order of former courts that noe person whatsoever shall build any stalls or sett any
fflaikes within two yards of the glovers stalls for the future, they hindring the passage, on paine of 6' &•'
every one offending herein. '
Other trades than those privileged might be exercised in the town by
the sufferance of the borough jury. Thus in 1676 permission was given to
Henry Roberts, a brickmaker, to exercise his trade in the town because it
was likely to prove useful.' This trade seems to have grown and flourished,
but it was subjected to restriction by the borough jury, and in 1702 an order
was issued limiting the price which inhabitants of Hexham were to pay for
bricks thus made upon commons or moors belonging to the town.
We present & order that James Simpson & Hairy Roberts, brickmakers, shall not exceed the price of
6'> per 100 for bricks or tyles which they shall make upon any of the comon or moores belonging to this
town, to any of the coppy holders or ffreeholders or other inhabitants of this town, upon paine of xl' for
every offence committed."
The severity of this order, however, was somewhat mitigated later on.
We renew the order of fformer courts that the brickmaker shall sell noe bricks into the countrey till
the towns people be served, and that the said brickmaker shall give notice by the bellman to the
inhabitants of this towne by the space of fourteen dayes, and after the expiration of that time to be at
liberty to sell them to countrey people. And that the ffreeholders of this towne shall pay to the brick-
maker tenn pence per hundred for his bricks, provided they be well made and well burnt.'
Naturally the privileges claimed and exercised by the four companies
of the borough were coveted and envied by the other craftsmen there.
About the middle of the seventeenth century a determined attempt seems
to have been made to set up a guild of tailors. This attempt was resisted
by the older companies, who were anxious to preserve their monopoly.
Accordingly in 1659 the borough jury issued an order forbidding the tailors
to form themselves into an exclusive corporation.* This order did not
apparently quench the desire of the tailors for a guild, and they continued to
presevere until in 1665 a more effective edict was issued to check the move-
ment by an order giving power to all tailors who might wish to do so, to
come and exercise their trade in the town.
We renew an order made at this court in the yeare 1659. And doe present order & declare (with
the consent of the lord of this manner) that noe person or persons whatsoeuer professing the trade of a
'Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1720. '" Ibiii. 1676. ''Ibid. 1702. ' Ibid. 1720.
^ Ibid. 1659.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 29 1
tailor, being of honest life & conversalion, dwelling and inhaliitting within this mannor or places neare
adjacent, shall be prohibited or hindered from workeing within the said towne of Hexham in any house or
houses whercunto they shall be desired, nor from carrying away any worke foorth of the said towne unto
their owne dwelling to make, if the owner of such worke shall soe thinke fitt, and that whosoeuer shall
molest or trouble any such person or persons professing the trade of a taylor as aforesaid, either in
workeing within the said towne or in carrying away any worl'ie foorth of the said towne unto their owne
dwelling to make as aforesaid, shall forfeit antl be amercyed to the lord of the mannor the sunime of xi'.'
This measure appears to have had the desired effect, for no more is
heard of the tailors in the Borough Books, and there appears never to have
been a company of that trade in the town.
The regulations for the grain market were no less carefully framed than
those which governed the industrial trades. Here also an attempt was made
to prevent itinerant vendors, middlemen, and hucksters from interfering with
the interests of the townspeople.
We fynd that whereas there is of late tyme a great disorder and abuse in the markett by seauerall
persons comeing out of the country, who under the pretence that they are badgers'- lycenced, whereas in
truth they are none doe contract for and buy up the seauerall sorts of corne before it present the markett
to the great prejudice of diverse, both poore and others, in this towne, and whereas we fynd yt the
greatest inconvenience doth arise by the setting up of corne in houses ; and selling the same there
privately unto diuerse persons who have now taken upon them the trade of badgeingunlycenced, contrary
to the lawes of this kyngdome, and contrary to the good orders and constitutions of this towne in
contracting for and buying up the said corne before the corne bell rynge. We therefor order that noe
inhabitant in this towne or the precyncts thereof shall suffer any corne to be sould within their houses,
unto any pretending the trade of badgeing ; or unto any other person whatsoeuer, except it be unto such
persons as shall buy the same for household use, nor shall suffer any of their guests to sell any corne in
their houses unto any person whatsoever before it present the market upon paine of xiii* iiii'' euery
inhabitant for suffering such corne to sould (sic) in soe unlawfull manner ; and upon the like paine of
xiii' iiii'' euery country man for selling their corne before the ringeing of the corne bell, and before it
present the markett where our scaldrakers may liot be wronged of their toll corne by such priuate and
close selling as aforesaid ; and the markett keepers are hereby required to see this order invyolably
keept, and to present the offenders at the next court.'
As has already been stated, the fixing of the times when markets and
fairs might be held in Hexham was a prerogative of the Crown. The
borough jury, however, undertook to fix the date of the hiring of servants :
Whereas for seuerall yeares last past there hath been at the Martinmas time seuerall dayes for
hireing of servants (viz') Munday and Tuesday before Martinmas day, & Munday and Tuesday after
Martinmas day, which we find to be prejudicial! to the tradesmen of this towne, because there is noe
certaine day prefixed for the same. We doe, therefore, present & order that the day for hireing of
servants shall alwaies hereafter be the first Tuesday after Martinmas day, and not before, except Martin-
mas day shall happen to be on a Tuesday, & then for that year the hireing day shall be on the same
day. And that proclamation thereof be made by the sergeant of this manor twenty dayes before
Martinmas next.'
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1665.
^ A badger is one who buys corn, etc., and carries them elsewhere to sell. New English Diet. ed.
Murray. ^ Ibid. 1661. ' Borough Book, 1680.
2q2 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
This ancient custom of hirings is still continued at Hexham. There
are two in the year, one at Martinmas and the other in May, and this seems
to have been the case throughout the present century.
Although the attention of the borough jury was chiefly directed towards
the maintenance of the privileges of the free companies, the interests of
other sections of the community were not neglected. The borough jury
of 1665 in particular seems to have determined to resist to the uttermost the
encroachments attempted to be made by the rich and powerful classes upon
their poorer neighbours. Two orders especially are directed against this
abuse. The first is against the practice of enclosing common ground to the
prejudice of the copyholders of the district :
We allsoe present & find that whereas the seauerall commons belongeing to the copyholders of this
towne and to other neighbouring coppieholders who haue entercommen & eatage with us are some part
of them incroached, hedged in, & stobed out, intending to build thereupon, and the same to convert to
their owne private use, thereby to disinheritt such coppieholders and others who haue anciently & legally
by good custome enjoyed the same, and this done under a pretence of purchase from the lord of this
mannor ; whereas we conceive that such common is soe inseparably incident to the copiehold land as
appurtenante to the same, and to diuerse freeholders as common appendant by prescription ; and therefor
we hope that we have not soe farr disingaged ourselfes unto the lord of this mannor that he will take
away our just freedome & right from us, but doe hereby (under submission unto him) declare our disents
in such proceedings, and doe hereby order that if any person whatsoeuer will attempt the hedgeing in or
building upon any such common aforesaid, soe as to convert the same to his owne private use (except it
be the lord for his owne particular), we are resolved to throw downe such hedges and to prostrate such
building, with the helpe & assistance of our neighboures, and will take such further suit against him or
them (that shall hazard soe to doe) as the law will afford ; but we hereby begg & intreat the lord of the
mannor that there may be no cause for it.'
The other order was directed against a practice that has not been
confined to the seventeenth or anv other centurv :
We present & find that whereas many poore people in and about this towne and the precincts thereof
are very oft put to great charges & expences by persons more potent then themselves, and rather
through mallice & revenge then any just ground or cause of suit, in that they will frequently for euery
small & inconsiderable debt, trespasse, or otherwise, cause London writts to be sent for, thereby undoeing
his poore neighbour and forceing him to compound with him upon his owne tearmes, and thcieby glueing
occasion to others to suspect injustice in our courts at home ; we therefor order that noe person whatso-
euer within this towne or the libertie thereof shall sue to London in any action whatsoeuer where the
reall debt is under xP, or where in trespasse the damage is not to that value, but that all actions whatso-
euer to the value of the aforesaid summe & under shall be sued & tryed in our owne Court Barron, where
they may haue justice at lesse charge, upon paine of xP against those who shall be found to breake this
present order."
Curiously enough, on the cover of the book which contains these orders
is the note, in a contemporary handwriting : ' Men will say more in a dav
then they will doe in twenty.'
' Hexham Manur Rolls, Borough Book, 1665. ' Ibid.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 293
In the midst of their more serious duties the borough jury did not
neglect to provide amusements for the people. It is interesting to meet
with an order of this kind at the time of the great reaction that followed the
breakdown of the Commonwealth in 1660. It is less agreeable to add that
it encouraged the brutal and brutalising sport of bull-baiting :
We present and order that noe person or persons exercising or professing the trade of a butcher in
and about this towne or the precyncts thereof shall kill any bulls or expose the flesh of them to sale before
they be baited by doggs, and such bulls soe to be killed shall upon the Saturday be brought unto the
markett place by the butcher or owner thereof, unto the bull rynge, and there baited with doggs a
sufficient tyme according unto former orders in this towne; and that the foure constables shall out of the
townes charge buy and provide a rope with a collar and a paire of sweels, that such butcher or others
aforesaid may not plead freedome for the lacke of such rope and collar, and these to be bought before
Whittsunday next upon paine of iii" iiii'' euery constable and xx' euery butcher breaking this order.'
Two other orders, though indicating the existence of various amuse-
ments in the town, do not so well illustrate the care of the jury for the
relaxation of the townspeople as their anxiety that nothing should be
wasted ;
We find that the fower constables shall take the money which the lords of misrule or May game
collected in his or there tyme or tymes, and also to lay one unequall seisment of the whole towne for the
repayringe and mendinge of the broken briges neer the Tyne greine and the east loneinge neer the
Steavenson's and other wayes wher they shall thinke needfull and befittinge before Lammas next, upon
paine of vi" and for the connstables defalt therein, and 3' 4'' everye one denying his seisment to the
connstables, being layed one by 4 sufficient neighboures.'
We present and order that immediately after the giveing in of this verdict the foure constables of this
towne shall take downe the seauerall summer trees or May poles in the seauerall streets or wards of this
towne, and shall upon the townes charge cause them to be made into ladders for the use and service of
neighbours in and about the saide towne, provided that none of the said neighbours shall take any of
them after they are soe made, but shall first of all goe unto the said constables and accjuaint them with
what use they have for the same, and shall promise to bringe them backe unto such place as the said
constables shall appoint.'
It is, perhaps, singular that there should be so little mention of the lord
of the manor in the borough jury books of this period. His steward presided
at the court, and no doubt his influence was predominant there. The few
references to him that occur are of a trifling character. Persons accused of
assault seem as a rule to have submitted themselves to the mercy of the lord.
In 1635, one Thomas Fenwick was fined for grinding his corn away from the
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1661. '" Ibid. 1634.
■' Ibid. i56i. The practical spirit which induced the borough jury to turn these revels to account
had a parallel at Morpeth, where a lord of misrule was elected at Easter and held office until the
Wednesday following. He kept a barrel of ale upon the bridge, made all passengers drink of it, and
collected a toll for the repair of the highways, rendering an account of the money thus collected at
Whitsuntide. Proc. Dene. Nat. Club, xiv. p. 130.
294 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
lord's mill.' In 1653, there is a curious entry that Matthew Armstrong of
Hexham, blacksmith, ' did finde a swarme of bees nigh unto ye Lynells,
which we finde due to ye lord of ye manor.' ■
During the seventeenth century, the period which has supplied almost
all the illustrative extracts above quoted, the local government of the town
seems to have been well carried out, and the guilds and the trades probably
reached the height of their prosperity. This prosperity did not outlast the
century, and towards its close a period of depression supervened. Trade
was reduced to such a low level that many of the handicraftsmen were
obliged to set up shop as retail dealers in order to eke out their scanty
earnings. Some busybodies thought that they had discovered an illegal
practice in this, and threatened to prosecute the offenders. The latter in
alarm addressed a petition to Sir John Fenwick, the lord of the manor, in
the year 1689, praying for his protection.
The Humble Petition of the Inhabitants of the Town of Hexham.
Humbly sheweth : That the said town of Hexham, or the greatest part thereof, consisteth of
mechanics, handicraftsmen, or tradesmen who, for the better support and maintenance of themselves and
famihes have, time whereof the memory of man is not to the contrary, kept shops, and traded in the
buying and selling of groceries, and all other sorts of merchandise, whereby they made a verj' good shift
to live very creditably and honestly, and discharged the merchants of Newcastle, and others they dealt
and traded with, from time to time, to the great comfort and satisfaction of their friends and relatives,
and benefit and advantage to themselves and families, and never troubled or molested for so doing, until
now of late some wicked and malicious persons envying the happy estate and condition of the said trades-
men, out of a peevish and perverse humour, and self-interest, go about and endeavour to foment and set
up suits against the said tradesmen and shopkeepers of the said town, and threaten to indict them in the
Crown office, and at the assizes and sessions, upon the statute of the fifth of Elizabeth, and for following
more trades than one, which will be a very great loss and prejudice to the said tradesmen, and to the
impoverishing, undoing, and ruining of them and their posterities, and in a manner depopulating of the
said town, some tradesmen being so numerous there, viz., tanners, glovers, and shoemakers, that they are
scarce able to maintain their families by one of these single trades, without making malt, keeping shop, or
following some other employment, which if they continue to do, they are threatened to be indicted, and if
so they must be forced to look for a livelihood somewhere else for themselves, and leave part of their
children to the town to be maintained, which will be a great and insupportable burden for the said
inhabitants to undergo.
May it therefore please your honour to take the premises into your serious and judicious consideration,
and not to give any encouragment to any such promoters & informers, but rather to aid and assist your
petitioners in making their just defence to such hard and vexatious dealings and pleadings, and your
petitioners, as in duty bound, shall ever pray, etc'
The trade of the town revived again in later years, the renewed
prosperity in all probability being largely due to the construction of the
bridges across the Tyne. At the beginning of the present century trade was
' Hexham Manor Rolls, Borough Book, 1653. ■ Ibid. " Wallis, Novthuinbcrlaiid, ii. p. 93.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 295
in a most flourishing state, but in later years the old industries have almost
entirely died out.^ At the present time there are only two tan yards in
Hexham, and though the once famous gloves may still be bought there,
they are only produced in small quantities. The hatters have entirely dis-
appeared. Market gardening is the chief industry of to-day, and there are
one or two considerable establishments of seedsmen and florists.
The decline of the local industries naturally involved the collapse of the
guilds. Established originally for the purpose of securing a monoply of
trade in return for payments made to the lord, they gradually lost their
privilege. As time went on they sank by degrees to the condition of mere
social clubs, their annual meetings became mere festive gatherings, and their
insignia and banners never saw the light except on the occasion of public
celebrations, when the members of the guilds walked in procession. Their
gatherings took place in the various inns of the town, which were called
after them, and the ' Skinners' arms ' and the ' Tanners' arms ', both in
Gilligate, preserve the memory of this connection. Until a comparatively
recent date the cordwainers of the town were accustomed to celebrate the
festival of their patron. Saint Crispin (October 25th), by a public procession
and fete. A king was chosen from among the master shoemakers, and he
paraded the town in his robes, accompanied by his attendants, bearing the
insignia of the company.' Even this custom has died out, and with it the
Hexham guilds may be said to have come to an end.
The borough jury, which so long governed the town has also ceased to
exist. After the passing of the first Public Health Act in 1849 it was super-
seded by a Local Board, and this body has in its turn given place to a
District Council, established by the Parish Councils Act of 1894.
Personal History.
The personal history of Hexham is of no great importance, and possesses
only a minor interest. The celebrities who have been, in one way or another
' Possibly the decline has been due to misdirected energy. ' Hexham, where they knee-band lops
and put spectacles upon blind spiders,' is a local saying. The inhabitants have not been famed for their
wisdom: 'Go to Hexham' is a Newcastle malediction, and the townspeople have been known as 'Hexham
geese.' ' Silly good-natured, like a Hexham goose ; bid him sit down and he will lie down,' is another
saying recorded against the natives of the place. Denluiiii Tracts, Folk Lore Soc. i. pp. 27g-8i.
"The last time the festival of St. Crispin was celebrated was in 1825 or 1826. But even at that date
the cost of the celebration so severely taxed the slender resources of the cordwainers that no meeting was
held afterwards. Robb, Hexham Fifty Years Ago, p. 9.
296 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
connected with the place are, with one exception, of small importance. The
wealthier families who, from time to time, resided there, had their seats
elsewhere, or were cadet branches of the main line.
The principal residence in Hexham after the dissolution was the Abbey
house, formed out of the old priory buildings. It was inhabited at that time,
and subsequently, by Sir Reynold Carnaby and his family, a younger branch
of the Carnabys of Halton. It will be remembered that Sir Reynold
Carnaby left three daughters, Katherine, Mabel, and Ursula. Of these
Katherine married Cuthbert, Lord Ogle, and subsequently parted with a
portion of her share in the manor to Sir John Forster. A part of her copy-
hold property, however, was retained. It was situated in each of the four
wards of the borough, and was rented in 1663 at £^2^] } Another Cuthbert,
Lord Ogle, a descendant of Lord Ogle and Katherine Carnaby, had two
daughters, Johanna and Catharine. The Hexham property descended to
the latter, who married Charles Cavendish of Welbeck abbey, and was
created Baroness Ogle. In 1664 her husband was created duke of New-
castle, but through default of male heirs the property passed by the female
line, first to John Hobbs, duke of Newcastle, then to Edward, earl of Oxford
and Mortimer, and lastly to the duke of Portland.' After continuing in this
family for some time, it was sold to various purchasers.
After the death of Lady Carnaby and her daughters, it is uncertain who
became the occupants of the Abbey house. It probably constituted one of
the residences of the lord of the manor for the time being, and in this way
would be inhabited by the Forster, Fenwick, and Blackett families in succes-
sion. Upon the death of Sir Edward Blackett in March, 1756, the house
was left in the hands of his widow. Dame Mary Blackett, who died in
November of the same year. Before marrying Sir Edward Blackett she had
been the wife of Nicholas Roberts. By Mr. Roberts she had one son,
Nicholas, to whom she devised her property, by virtue of the terms of Sir
Edward Blackett's will. After the removal of the Roberts family the Abbey
again became the residence of the lords of the manor, though their visits to
it were infrequent and short. The use of the house as a family seat was
not abandoned till the disastrous fire referred to above.'
' Wright, Hexham, p. 240. ' Hodgson, Description of Northiimheriand, p. 1S6.
' Supra, p. 262.
HISTORY OF THIC liOROUGH.
297
Nicholas Roherts
of , merchant.
RORERTS OF HEXHAM.
Mary, daughter of Thomas Jekyll, D.D. [? of = 2
Sidney Sussex college, and brother to Sir
Joseph Jekyll, master of the Rolls] ; died
2gth Nov., 1756, aged 82 ; buried in Ilex-
ham church (J)) ; will dated 27th Nov.,
1756 ; proved at York (c).
, Sir Edward Blackett, third baronet,
of Elexham abbey ; died s.p. 1st
March, 1756, aged 74 («) and (ji) ;
will dated 7th Feb., 175O ; proved
at York (c).
j
Nicholas Roberts of Hexham abbey, to whom = Katherine, daughter of George Kaye and sister of Sir John Lister K.iye
u: .u... j...:„.j u .. -■ u 1 i, baronet, of Uenby Grange, co. York, to whom her husband devised
his farmholds of Lincoln Hill, Single Laws, Houghton Green, and
Greencarts, in Northumberland, and a house at Windsor, with re-
mainder to their son, Joseph Roberts ; died 22nd May, 1764, aged 63
(i) ;t will dated 31st Jan., 1763 ; proved at York (c).
his mother devised her estates at Hnmshaugh,
Greencarts, and a house at Windsor ; died
8th Dec, 1761, aged bi (/<) ; will dated 25th
Aug., 1758 (c).*
I
Edward Roberts, eld-
est son, baptised
29th Oct., 1725
(«) ; died 22nd
Sept., 1757, aged
32 (fi') ; adminis-
tered at York, 5th
Dec, 1757.
Joseph Roberts of Hex-
ham, named in grand-
mother's will ; a wool-
len manufacturer in
Hexham ; to whom his
mother devised 'all
the stock in trade,
etc., belonging to the
manufactory.'^
.., daughter of ...
Dixon of Hawk-
well, 'an amiable
young lady with
a considerable for-
tune ' ; married at
Stanifordham, 23rd
April, 1764 ((/).
John, baptised 1726 ;
buried 1727 («).
Thomas, baptised 1729
(c) ; died in child-
hood.
George, baptised 1740 ;
buried 1741 (a).
Henry, baptised 1741 ;
buried 1747 (a).
I
John Roberts,
baptised 2Ist
Sept., 1743
(fl) ; [? mar-
ried 1 1 th
Sept., 1764,
Jane Charl-
ton («)].
Mary, baptised 27th Nov., 1727 (a) ; living unmarried
1763.
Katherine, baptised 27th Aug., 172S (n) ; married 2Sth Nov.,
1750, John Rotherham of Hexham, M.D, 4,
Dorothy, baptised I2th Nov., 1730 ; living unmarried 1763.
Elizabeth, baptised 6th Nov., 1731 (ji) ; married 3rd March,
1757, Nicholas Lee (a).
Alice, baptised 2nd Nov., 1732 (a) ; married lOth July, 1755,
William Robson of the parish of Hexham («).
Tryphena, baptised 13th March, 1733/4 W ; buried 22nd
March, 1734/5 («)•
Ann, baptised 2.^th April, 1735 i"^ ', unmarried 1763.
Margaret, baptised 25th April, 1736 ; unmarried 1763.
Charlotte, baptised 25th May, 1737 (a); married 31st
Dec, 1763, William Bell of High Shield, Hexham (a) ;
died 24th May, 1764 (</).
Isabella, baptised 4th Aug., 1739 (a) ; died unmarried
8th May, 1781, aged 41 (r/).
(a) Hexham Register. (Ji) M.I., Hexham. (c) Raine, Testamenla. (,/) Neu-castU Courant.
* 'A main of cocks to be fought at Mr. Francis Rumney's covered pit, at the Phccnix, in Hexham, between
Ambrose Edward?, esq , of Barnard Castle, and Mr. Nicholas Roberts of Hexham, to shew 31 cocks on each side, on the
Monday, 27th of Dec, to fight the three following days for 2 guineas a battle and 40 the main or odd battle.' Newcastle
Courant, Ilth Dec, 1731.
f 'Suddenly, in the 63rd year of her age, as she was taking the air in her garden at Hexham, .Mrs. Roberts
relict of the late Nicholas Roberts, esq., and sister of the late Sir John Lister Kaj'e, bart.' Newcastle Courant 22nd
May, 1764.
J ' Joseph Roberts' lands at Lincoln Hill and Cockplay, in the township of Humshaugh, were sold shortly before
1770 to John Ridley of Park End.' Raine, Testamenta.
A better known and moi-e interesting family were the Mitfords.
John Mitford, though well connected, was a miller at Dam mills, Ovingham.
His third son, John, took the Tyne mill at Hexham, situated on a small
island in the river close to the present bridge. A younger brother, George,
practised as a surgeon in Hexham, and his son Francis followed his father's
profession. George, the son of Francis Mitford, though born in He.xham,
Vol. III. ;S
298
HEXHAM ROROUGH.
MITFORD OF HEXHAM.
Roc.KR MlTFORD, lessee of Heddon tithes = Anne , succeeded to lease of Heddon tithes (^).
I r
Oswald Mitford succeeded Anne Mitford in lease of Heddon tithes, = Ellen , party to suit
and devised same to his wife Ellen (^). : of 1602.
John Mitford of the Dam mills, near Ovingham, afterwards of ^= Catherine, daughter of George Bates of Horsley ;
Tyne mills, Hexham; will dated 22nd Oct.,
at York, 13th June, 1727 (J~).
1725 ; proved
married circa 1678 ; buried 2nd June, 1730 (a).
1 1
Robert, baptised 20th
John Mitford of Tyne mills, baptised =
= Deborah, daughter of .
. Mayer
Feb., 1679 (Ji).
25th Dec, 16S6 (/i) ; buried 9th
of Simondburn and
sister of
George, baptised 5th
July, 1762 (fl) ; administered at
John Mayer of York
; buried
June, 1682 {b") ;
York, 28th April, 1763 (/).
8th May, 1780 (a).
died in infancy.
Thomas, bap-
tised 31st
Aug., 1691
John Mitford of Tyne mills, baptised 8th = Ann ..., died
June, 1726 («) ; died nth Nov., buried nth May,
15th Nov., 1794 (a) (?) ; administration 1800, aged
at York, 2 1st Feb., 1798 (/). 79(0-
Thomas, baptised 21st
Jan., 1729/30 («);
buried 19th Mar.,
1736/7 (a)-
I
Elizabeth, baptised 19th
Jan., 173 1/2 (a) ; died
29th Jan., buried 2nd
Feb., 1804 (a) («•).
Thomas Mitford,
died 23rd Jan.,
1845, aged 82
(0.
I
John Mitford of Lon-
don, baptised 20th
Aug., 1762 (a) ;
died at Hexham,
7th Feb., 1841,
aged 77 (*).
Jane, baptised 1st Jan., 1767 (a) ; buried loth October, 1770 (a).
Elizabeth, baptised I2th July, 1765 (a) ; buried 28th June, 1778 (a).
Mary, baptised 19th July, 1759 (a) ; died in infancy.
Deborah, baptised l6th Oct., 1760(a) ; died nth Feb., 1835, aged 74(*).
.Mary, baptised loth July, 1768 (a) ; died 6th Mar., i860, aged 91 (J).
Margaret, married ... Robson of Burnfoot, near Chipchase.
George Mitford of Hexham, surgeon
and apothecary, baptised 9th
April, 1694 (/i) ; entered of Barber
Surgeons' company of Newcastle,
6th Feb., 1707/8; buried 25th
March, 1750 (a) ; will dated 17th
March, 1749/50 ; devised lands at
Kirkley to wife for life (y).
Elizabeth daughter of
... Paston ; bond of
marriage, 5th Feb.,
1714 ; buried 25th
Feb., 1768 (a);
will dated 25th
Nov., 1767 (/).
I I
Mabel, baptised 27th
Dec, l688 {^h) ; died
in infancy.
Catherine, baptised 8th
Dec, 1696 (J)) ; mar-
ried Robert Fenwick
of Hexham (/).
I I
Mabel, baptised 24th
July, 1699 (^) ; liv-
ing 1725.
Barbara, baptised 17th
April, 1704 (a);
buried 9th July,
1712 (a).
^ I
Francis Mitford
of Hexham,
surgeon, bap-
tised
May,
loth
17th
1722
buried
May,
I76S(a); will
dated 2nd
March, 1768
Jane, daughter
of William
Graham, cu-
rate of Hex-
ham ; married
30th June,
1756 (a);
buried 25ih
Nov., 1765
(a); possessed
of an estate
at Old Wall,
in Westmor-
land ((/)■
George Mitford of Morpeth, surgeon,
baptised l6th June, 1726 (a) ; took
house in Hencoats under mother's will ;
admitted free of Barber Surgeons, loth
Nov., 1743 ; died at Morpeth ... 1815 ;
will dated 22nd Nov., iSn.
Mary, daughter of
John Threlkeldof
Tritlington; mar-
ried :9th Dec,
1764 (c) ; died ...
March, 1810 (Ji).
John, bap-
tised 4th
July, 1727
(a); living
1767.
Elizabeth, baptised 26th Aug., 1716 (a) ; buried 13th Dec, 1764 (a).
Catherine, baptised 20th March, 1717/8 (a); married I2th Aug., 1747 (a),
Henry Fenwick of Hexham ; died ... April, 1783, aged 65 (/). -^
Isabel, baptised 4th Feb., 1719/20 (a) ; buried nth March, 1753 (a).
Sarah, baptised 19th June, 1724 (a) ; inarried ... Bates ; living in 1767 a widow.
Mary, baptised 22nd Aug., 1729 (a) ; living 1767.
Dorothy, baptised 27th Slay, 1731 (a) ; buried iSth April, 1767 (a).
Barbara, baptised 9th March, 1732/3 (a) ; buried 5th Jan., 1734/5 (a).
HISTORY Ol' THP; ROROUGH.
299
William Mitford, bap-
tised 8tli March,
■759 ('0 ! I'lerk in
orders ; resided at
Douglas, Isle of
Man ; died circa
1834, s./>. (<0 (0-
George Milford of Alresford, sur-
geon, baptised 29tli Jan., 1761
(a) ; a pupil of John Hunter
and a graduate at Kdinburgh
(d) ; wasted his wife's and his
own fortune ; died at Three Mile
Cross near Reading, iith Dec,
1842 ; buried at Shenlield Qrf).
Mary, daughter and heir-
ess of Richard Russell
rector of Ash, Hants,
married at Alresford
17th Oct., 1785 (</)
died 2rid Jan., 1830
buried at Shenfield
(<0.
Elizabeth, baptised
lOth June, 1757
(a) ; [? buried loth
May, 1767 («).]
Dorothy Mary, bap-
tised 1 2th May,
1763 («) ; living
1768.
Mary Russell Mitford, the authoress of Our Vt7/iii;e, etc., Ixirn at Alresford, l6th Dec, 1787 ;
died at Sonning, loth Jan., 1S55, and buried at Swallowlield (;/). Her portrait, painted
by Lucas, was engraved by Cousins (</).
Gawen Aynesley Mit-
ford, born 19th
Feb., baptised 31st
May, 1767 (c) ; of
University college,
O.xon. ; matricula-
tion Sth July, 1786 ;
student of Lincoln's
Inn ; living 181 1.
= Ann,
daugh-
ter of
the Hon.
Philip
Roper.
George Mitford,
born 1 6th Aug.,
baptised 1st
Oct., 1769 (c) ;
died at New-
castle, 23rd
July, lySii^/i).
Alicia, born 18th May, baptised
1 2th Aug., 1768 (c) ; heiress
of her great-uncle Gawen
Aynsley of Little Harle, whose
name she assumed ; married
Lord Charles Murray, dean of
Bocking (youngest son of the
duke of Athol). She died at
Bocking, 29th June, 1813.
Mary Mitford, born 29th
Oct., baptised nth
Dec, 1770 (c); died at
Delvine,near Dunkeld,
19th June, 1861, aged
87, unmarried. There
is a sonnet addressed
to her in 1810 by her
cousin Mary Russell
Mitford.
Gawen Aynesley ... Mitford,
eldest son ; Lieut. R.N.
Charles Mitford, second son, died at Charlestown of
yellow fever, 28lh Aug., 1824, aged 22 (;i).
I I I
Three others.
(a) Hexham Register.
(Ji) Oving/iam Register.
(c) Morpeth Register.
{if) Rev. A. G. Lestrange, Life of Miss Mitford,
3 vols. London, 1870.
(e) M.I., He.xham.
(y) Raine, Testamenta.
(g) Arch. Ael, vol. xi. p. 277.
(/;) Local newspapers.
(f) Thos. Dobson, Contributions
to Local History.
left his native town, and practised as a surgeon at Alresford. He is
described as a clever, selfish, unprint:ipled, and extravagant man, who
during his life squandered three fortunes, amounting in all to ;£ 70,000,
and ultimately died in poverty. His daughter, Mary Russell Mitford, was
born at Alresford, December i6th, 1787. If she did not actually 'lisp in
numbers ', she began to write earlv in life, though her first volume of poems
was not published till 18 10, when she was twenty-three years of age. This
first volume was soon followed by others, and from poetry she turned her
attention to the drama. Her first tragedy was entitled ' Julian ', which was
performed by Macready at Covent Garden in 1823, but with little success.
Her most successful play was ' Rienzi ', which was put on the stage at Drury
Lane in 1828, with Young in the title-role. Her poems and plavs are now
forgotten, but there is one work by which Miss Mitford's name will live.
Our Village., that charming series of sketches, appeared first in parts in an
300 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
obscure periodical called the Lady's Magazine, after having been refused
by other magazines as too light for a high-class periodical. The articles,
however, at once attracted attention, and were eagerly read by the public.
The sale of the Lady s Magazine increased almost immediately from 250
copies to 2,000. When published in book form. Our Village enjoyed a
great success, and its popularity has continued almost undiminished. Miss
Mitford wrote one other novel, called Belford Regis, giving sketches of
Reading, near which she was residing, and several other books and fugitive
pieces, but she produced nothing that at all vied with the charm and popu-
larity of Our Village. Miss Mitford's great literary activity was continually
spurred by the financial necessities which her spendthrift father had brought
upon her, and which only ended with his death on December nth, 1842.
A public subscription and a civil list pension relieved Miss Mitford from the
necessities in which her father's extravagance had involved her, and the
remainder of her life was passed in comparative comfort. In 1851 she
removed to Swallowfield, where she died four years later, January the 5th,
1855, 'it the- age of 67 years. Her conversation has been pronounced to
have been even more delightful than her books, and her private correspond-
ence was most voluminous. Her friends were numerous, many of them
being distinguished, and one of the closest was Miss Elizabeth Barrett, who
subsequently married the poet Browning.'
Among the families resident in Hexham the Carrs and Allgoods have
long occupied an important, if not the foremost, position. The Carrs of
Hexham sprang from a branch of the family that had been settled at
Woodhall, from whence they came to Hexham about the beginning of the
sixteenth century. Though some of them were Roman Catholics, their faith
did not prevent them from occupying a prominent place in the town, and six
members of the family were bailiffs of Hexham. The family residence was
near the prior}' church, if not adjoining it, and probably facing the market
place. About 161 7, however, Ralph Carr, the head of the family, acquired
the Spital, and went to reside there. '
The Allgoods, like the Carrs, were prominent in the local government
of Hexham, and five bailiffs of the name presided over the manor courts.
The Hexham Allgoods were a cadet branch of the Allgoods now settled at
' L'Estrange, Ujc and Letters of Miss Mitford. London, Bentley, in 3 vols.
■■^ The Family of Carr, by R. E. and C. E. Carr, i. pp. 12-27.
HISTORY OF THE HOROUGH.
30 1
Arms : Quarterly.
CARR OF HEXHAM.
t and 4, on a chevron three estoi/es. 2 and 3, argent, two Imrs and in citief thr,e escallops azure.
Carr ot Woodhall. Visitation.
*JOHN Cakk of Woodhall, was aged 65 20th March, ==
151 5 ; held Helton in 1474.
*Williara Carr of Woodhall, and of Hencoats,
Hexham, lo which latter he was admitted
20th Oct., 1504 ; administration granted
at Durham, 20th April, 1527, to widow.
•Elizabeth ; was admitted tenant, *John Carr of =
1 6th Oct., 1540, and dead before Woodhall.
isl July, 1555.
*Richard Carr, un-
der age, 1527 ;
admitted tenant
1st July, 1555,
as son of Wil-
liam Carr and
Elizabeth his
wife ; died s.p.
I
*James Carr of Hencoats, = *Mary
under age, 1527 ; ad-
mitted tenant 1st July,
1555, as son of William
Carr and Elizabeth his
wife ; loth Oct., 1568,
surrendered lands to
four sons.
to whom in
1560 her
hu.'jband
surrendered
lands in
He.vham.
*J
I r
ohn Carr
of Wood-
hall.
== Margaret
1 Kning-
ton.
*George = Dorothy
Carr of
Lesbury,
etc. (See
vol. ii.
pp. 429,
431.)
*Richard Carr of Hexham and of the Lee, = Anne ; presented,
admitted tenant loth Oct., 1568, and to
moiety of the Lee, loth Oct., 1583 ;
buried at Hexham, 25th March, 1609.
with her husband,
17th Dec, 1585, for
not coming to church.
•James Carr, admitted tenant, loth Oct., 1568.
•John Carr, admitted tenant, loth Oct., 1568.
•William Carr, admitted tenant, lOthOct., 1568.
♦Richard Carr, bailiff of Hex-
ham,and of the Spital; eld-
est son ; admitted to lands
of the Lee, 2 1st Oct., 161 1 ;
surrendered the Lee to
brother Ralph, i:th Oct.,
1614 ; 2ist Oct., i6o8,
admitted to tenement in
Church Style ; buried in
Hexham church, 21st
June, 1623.
Janet
living
1630.
•Ralph Carr of Sla-
ley, admitted to
lands at the Lee,
I2th Oct., 1614 ;
will proved 17th
April, 1627, 'to
be buried at
Slaley.'
•Alice, widow
of Robert
Robson ;
executor to
husband's
will, 1627.
I
From whom Carr of Dunston
Hill and Hedgeley.
Thomas Carr = Alice
of Slaley ; Stokoe.
married at
He-xham,
14th July,
1584 ; died
s.p.; admin-
istration,
1595-
I
Joanna.
I I
William, in 1601 appren-
ticed as Merchant .Ad-
venturer of Newcastle ;
died before 1623.
Arthur, in 1607 appren-
ticed as Merchant Ad-
venturer of Newcastle ;
died before 1623.
Ralph Carr, M.A., St.
John's college, Cam-
bridge ; in 1623, as
eldest son, was ad-
mitted to tenement
in Church Style and
other lands ; was
aged 26 in 1636;
died 1643, s.p.
Dorothy,
daughter
of John
Ridley of
Coastley;
buried
5th April,
1640.
= Richard Carr,
bailiff of Hex-
ham, and of
the Spital ;
died 1647.
Mar
Copley Carr ; buried
4th Nov., 1644.
I I
Henry ;
buried in
Hexham
church,
1st July,
1612.
William ;
living
1648.
E
lizabeth ; mar-
ried James
Oliver, from
whom Ralph
Spearman of
Eachwick.
John ; buried
1st Jan.,
1626.
Ralph ; died
1660.
Cuthbert Carr
of the Spital,
born circa
1626 ; died
1691.
Jane
John ;
buried
1st Nov.,
1634.
Benoni Carr, bailiff of Hexham = Mary Catherine ; bur.
and attorney-at-law ; of the 20th April,
Spital ; buried in Hexham 1629.
choir, 27th Oct., 170S («) ; (?) Thomasine ;
administration granted i8th bur. 6th May,
Oct., 1 71 2, to widow (i5). 1639.
Richard Carr,
baptised 15 th
April, 164S;
buried 30th
July, 1650.
I
William Carr;
buried loth
Nov., 1650.
I I
Mary.
Dorothy, baptised
22nd July, 1649 ;
buried 1st Aug.,
1649.
I
I
John Carr, bap-
tised iSthJune,
1666 ; buried
30th July, 1667.
I
William Carr ;
buried 2nd
April, 16S0,
in Hexham
choir.
Richard Carr, bap-
tised 3rd Oct.,
i664(«); buried
28th March,
1691, in Hex-
ham choir (a).
* From pedigree registered at Heralds' college in iSgi.
This pedigree, with a very few additions, is taken from the exhaustive History of the Family of Carr of Dunston
Hill, by Colonel Ralph Edward Carr and Cuthbert Ellison Carr, vol. i. pp. 13-23, 230. London: Mitchell iS:
Hughes, 1893.
(a) Hexham Register. ((}) Raine, Testamenta.
302 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
Nunwick, though the main line may have resided in Hexham before they
moved westwards. It is uncertain at what time the Allgoods came to
Hexham, but they had acquired considerable influence there by the middle
of the seventeenth century, when Thomas AUgood was bailiff. It was he
who succeeded in stirring up a majority of the townspeople against the
curate Ritschell in 1698 and 1699, himself being the leader and spirit of the
opposition. About 1741, Mr. Major Allgood began to act as lord of the
manor, in which he was trustee for the heirs. He continued in this position
until his death in 1748, when he was succeeded by his daughter Mary, who
subsequently married the Rev. William Rastell. The two remained at the
head of the manor until 1778, when Sir Thomas Wentworth Blackett entered
upon his inheritance.
In the sixteenth century one Richard Gibson obtained from the Crown
a grant of lands in Hexham. Ever since that time the family has been
prominent in the town, and the main branch has always remained steadfast in
its adherence to the Roman Catholic faith. Six members of the family
attained to high position in the church to which they belonged. George and
William, sons of Richard Gibson, born in the latter half of the seventeenth
century, entered the Dominican order, and both became priors. The third
brother, Thomas, acquired the estates of Hawkhope, Stagshaw Close house,
Stonecroft, etc., and left Hexham. A descendant of his, George Gibson,
born March, 1726, after being educated at Douay returned to Hexham. As
chief of the Roman Catholic mission there he established a manufactory for
spinning wool, to provide employment for the children of the poor. He
died at Hexham on the 3rd of December, 1778. Two of his brothers,
Matthew and William, were successively consecrated bishops of the 'Northern
District ' of England, and Matthew became the founder of Ushaw college.^
Turning from families to individuals, the first name that claims attention
is that of John Bate, a Carmelite, who lived at the end of the fourteenth
centiu-y. Leland tells us that he was born west of the Severn, but Wright
asserts, though without stating on what authority, that he was born near
Hexham.^ Bate was first educated at the seminarv of the Carmelites at York,
where he distinguished himself and was sent to Oxford. After a successful
career at the university he returned to York, where he was elected prior of
the Carmelites. In this office he continued till his death, which occurred in
' Welfoi-d, Mm uf Mark. Tlic Gibsons of Hexham and Stonecroft. -' Histviy of ILxIlvh, p. 223.
HISTORY OF THE BOROUGH. 3O3
January, 1429. He was one of the very few western Europeans of that
time who had any knowledge of Greek. He was noted for his learning, and
he devoted especial attention to divinity and philosophy. Fourteen works
are ascribed to him, of which the principal arc treatises on the parts of
speech. Porphyry s Universah^ and Aristotle s Ethics. Bale, while admit-
ting his learning, accuses him of heresy.*
Near He.xham, though on the slender authority of The Modern Universal
British Traveller, Bishop Bryan Walton is said to have been born. His
father appears to have been a merchant, but the son was early destined for
the church. Educated at the Newcastle grammar school, he went, in 161 6,
to Magdalen college, Cambridge, but he took his degree from Peterhouse,
graduating B.A. in 1619, and M.A. in 1623. His first curacy was in Suffolk,
whence he proceeded to London, where, after acting as assistant at All-
hallows, Bread Street, he became rector of St. Martin Orgar (1626). Here
he took an active part in the discussion of the tithes question, as one of
their foremost defenders. In 1636 he was appointed to the living of
Sandon in Essex, which he held in conjunction with his London rectory.
On the outbreak of the civil war he was persecuted by the Puritans as a
'mystical pluralist' and the champion of tithes. He succeeded in escaping
to Oxford, but on the termination of the war he returned to London, living
with Fuller, the historian, whose daughter Jane he had married as his second
wife. It was at this time that he projected the polvglot bible, which is
said to have been the first work published in England by subscription. It
was issued in 1656. Though a work of great learning and value, it caused
the gravest dissatisfaction to persons of very different opinions. The pope
caused the new bible to be placed on the Index, and John Owen, a
prominent Independent, attacked it with great violence as injurious to the
Reformation and Christianity. This attack was answered by Walton in a
pamphlet, which for the sake of brevity may be called the ' Considerator
Considered.' At the Restoration Walton was made bishop of Chester, and
the appointment appears to have been satisfactorv to the diocese. He died
soon after on the 29th of November, 1661, and was buried in St. Paul's.^
William Hewatson, or Hewson, was born at Hexham on the 14th of
November, 1739, his father being a surgeon apothecary in the town, and his
mother a member of the Heron family. Educated at the free grammar school
' Diet. Nat. Biog.; Chalmers, General Biog. Diet.; Rose, Biog. Diet. ■ Welford, Men of Mark.
304 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
and by his father, who taught him the rudiments of chemistry and surgery,
he served his time with a surgeon in Newcastle. He went to London
to complete his studies, and attended Dr. William Hunter's lectures on
anatomy, lodging with the professor's brother, John. These eminent men
conceived so high an opinion of him that when, in 1761, John Hunter went
abroad, they entrusted to Hewson the instruction of his fellow-pupils in the
dissecting room, though he was no more than twenty-two years of age at the
time. The following year he spent in study at Edinburgh, and in 1762 he
returned to London to enter into partnership with Dr. William Hunter. Li
1770 he became a fellow of the Royal Society, and won the Copley medal
for a paper on the ' Lymphatic System in Fish.' Soon afterwards he married
Miss Mary Stevenson, the daughter of a friend of Benjamin Franklin. In
1 77 1 the partnership with Dr. Hunter was dissolved, but Hewson's reputa-
tion went on increasing. On the ist of May, 1774, at the early age of thirty-
four, he died from an injury received in dissection. His collected works
were published by the Sydenham Society in 1846.'
Joseph Richardson, born at He.xham in 1755, and educated at the free
grammar school, was sent to St. John's college, Cambridge, to qualify for
holy orders. On the death of his father, before his studies were completed,
he went to London, and was entered at the Middle Temple, where he made
the acquaintance of some of the foremost wits of the time. He became a
political partisan, and one of the foremost of the hack writers of the Whig
party. He was one of the contributors to the 'Rolliad' and other political
satires. In 1792 he produced a comedv, entitled 'The Fugitive.' He was
presented to Hugh, duke of Northumberland, in 1796, and was nominated
by him for the borough of Newport, in Cornwall. Richardson was elected
for that place the same year, and again in 1802. In 1803 the duke of
Northumberland lent him _£2,ooo to enable him to join Sheridan in the
proprietorship of the Drury Lane theatre. But the enterprise failed dis-
astrouslv, and the trouble and anxiety that ensued cost Richardson his life.
He died on the 9th of June, 1803. His works were published in' 1807 by
his widow, a relative of the celebrated Dr. Watts, in a volume, entitled the
Literary Relics of the Late jfoseph Richardson, Esq.''
Edward Rotheram, son of Dr. John Rotheram, who for some time
practised as a physician in the town, was born at Hexham in 1753. Entering
' Welford, Men of Mark. ' Ibid.
HISTORY OF THK BOROUGH. 3O5
the Royal navy he passed through many conflicts, including the American
War, the glorious First of June, and the wars of the French revolution. At
Trafalgar he was captain of Collingwood's flagship, the 'Royal Sovereign.'
At the conclusion of the peace in 1815 he was created a Commander of the
Bath, and later he was appointed to an extra captaincy at Greenwich
hospital. He died at Bildeston, in Sussex, on the 2nd November, 1830.^
One of the most prominent figures at Hexham during the early part of
the present century was Joseph Fairless. Though archseology had not
attained the accuracy of a science in his days, yet he did a great deal towards
popularising the study of the past in his own neighbourhood, and contributed
not a little to making known the rich treasures of his native town, and in
bringing to public notice several fresh discoveries. His son, Thomas Kerr
Fairless, born at Hexham in 1825, studied under Bewick's pupil, Nicholson,
the wood engraver ; but feeling dissatisfied with his progress, went to
London, and devoted himself to landscape painting. In this branch of art he
attained considerable proficiency ; but his constitution had been undermined,
and returning to his native town, he died on the 14th of July, 1853, in the
twenty-eighth year of his age.^
Streets and Houses.
In the town of Hexham as it exists to-day, the priory, the two towers, a
few old houses, and ancient place-names still preserve the memory of the
past. Old ward names survive in Hencotes, Priestpopple, Market Street,
and Gilesgate. Hencotes recalls the spot where the poultry belonging to
the convent was kept. It has been suggested that Priestpopple may refer
to the distribution of alms by the canons ; that those who partook of their
bounty had free lodgings there. ^ Market Street leads directly into the
market place, and Gilesgate passes north-westwards to the Spital, where the
hospital of St. Giles once stood. Contrary to the plan of most country
towns the market place of Hexham is not the centre of roads leading in
every direction. The main thoroughfare to Newcastle, Carlisle, and Allen-
dale Town does not pass through it at all, but follows Priestpopple and
Hencotes. A lower road connecting the town with the north bank of the
Tyne passes through the market place, which it enters by the Hall Stile
' Welford, Mat of Mark. - Diet. Ncit. Biog. ^ Mackenzie and Dent, Northumhcrland, ii. p. 323.
Vol. III. 39
3o6
HEXHAM BOROUGH.
bank on the one side and by Market Street on the other. These two
distinct lines of traffic are connected by Fore Street, formerly Costeley
Row, which consequently forms the principal business thoroughfare. The
Old Houses formerly in Gilesgate.
road running due south from Fore Street is known as Eastgate,' because
the eastern gateway of the town was situated at or near its junction
' Formerly Skinners Burn, and Bondgate.
HISTORY OF THE KOROUGH. 307
with Battle Hill. The latter name, given to the almost level street con-
necting Hencotes and Priestpopple, is suggestive of the Yorkist and Lancas-
trian conflict of 1464, though it seems impossible to connect it with an event
which took place so far away.'
Between Market Street and Hencotes lies the Sele, a large meadow
which was laid out for public use by Sir Walter Calverley Blackett. About
1820 it was proposed to carry the Newcastle and Carlisle road through it,
but the plan was fortunately abandoned.' It had formerly been attached to
the possessions of the priory, and it is conjectured that Sele may be a
corruption of Champs du Ciel, a name frequently given to such monastic
enclosures.'
Connected with Gilesgate are two narrow streets called Holy Island and
Cockshaw, the latter so named from the little burn which runs beside it, and
which also forms ' Holy Island.' Beyond these is Eillan's Lane, which,
considered in connection with Eillan's hole, a cave near Warden,* may
possibly have something to do with the connection of the two Eilafs, father
and son, with Hexham.
The progress of modern improvement has deprived Hexham of some of
its most characteristic features. The houses on the west side of the market
place, which stood against the church, were pulled down between 1840 and
1852. The Allgood house, which was built over the entrance to St. Mary's
Chare, was demolished in 1879, ^"^ the fine old 'White Horse' inn has
given place to a row of modern shops. An old doorhead, which was once
a part of this structure, has been built into a house behind the market place.
It is carved in five panels, and bears the date, 1604. On approaching the
town from the station, the remains of some ancient vaults may be noticed
near the top of the Hall Stile bank, on the left hand side. In Fore Street,
opposite the site of St. Mary's church, was formerly a house bearing the date
1693. In Back Street is a Tudor building, now called the 'Grapes' inn,
bearing a stone, upon which are carved the arms of Thomas, Lord Dacre.'
The largest number of old houses, however, was, until comparatively
' To battle is to beat cloth, Heslop, Northumberland Words; it seems more probable that the name is
derived from this provincialism than from the battle of 1464.
- Wright, History of Hexham, p. 62; Newcastle Couranf, 1823, July 4th, Oct. 4th, etc.
" This is hardly likely, however, for in Heddon parish there is a lane leading to Newburn, which is
known as Sele Lane, though there never was any monastery near there.
* Wright, History 0/ Hexham, p. 53, note. ^ See illustration, supra, p. 48.
308 HEXHAM BOROUGH.
recent times, in the street known as Market Street and Gilesgate. At the
top of the former, and on the west side, was a picturesque group of
seventeenth-century buildings, with a door bearing the inscription, sou
DEO CAELI AC SOLI CREATORI LAUS. JULH. 1 5 AO. DNI. 1 64 1. Another old
house, built in the same century, is still standing in the same street, a
little lower down. Further down Gilesgate, and on che opposite side of
the way, was a house bearing the date, 1638, and the motto of the Order of
the Garter, ' Honi Soit Qui Mai y Pense.' At the bottom of the same
street and on an old inn, called the 'Skinners' Arms', is the following
inscription, carved on a large stone, which forms the lintel of the doorway:
CD. 1683. I.D.
Reason doth wonder, but faith he can tell
That a maid was a mother, and God was a man ;
Let reason look down, and faith see the wonder,
For faith sees above, and reason sees under.
Reason doth wonder w-hat by scripture is meant,
Which saith that Christ's body is our sacrament,
That our bread is His body and our drink is His blood,
Which cannot by reason be well understood ;
For faith sees above and reason below,
For faith can see more than reason doth know.
Over the Cowgarth burn, in a passage between the priory and the Sele,
is an ancient bridge of solid stone.'
' For an account of the buildings of Hexham, see Hodges' Guide to Hexham, pp. 95-8, Hewitt,
Handbook to HcxUnm, pp. 103-5. The inscription on the 'Skinners' Arms,' which is now almost illegible, is
also given by Wright, History of Hexham, p. 245.
THE HOSPITAI, OF ST. GII.KS. 3O9
THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GILES.
About three-quarters of a mile north-west of the priory church, on a
pleasant, shady eminence overlooking the Tyne, stands the modern residence
known as the Spital. The name alone serves to recall the fact that on this
site once stood the hospital of St. Giles.' This institution is said to have
been founded by one of the archbishops of York, in conjunction with a prior
of Hexham. It cannot therefore have been established before the year 1 1 14,
though it was in all probability founded soon after the arrival of the Austin
canons at Hexham. The house was never a large one, its inmates were
few, and its endowments insignificant. It was ruled by a master, who was
appointed by the archbishop. The inmates were to be poor labourers, infirm
persons, or lepers, who were in need of some such charity, and must be
natives of the liberty. The archbishop had the right of nominating two
persons to the hospital, and the prior could propose two others. This was
the full complement of the institution, though others who would support
themselves might be admitted, with the consent of the archbishop's guardian
of the spiritualties, and in this way the total number of brethren sometimes
rose to seven or eight. The property upon which this little community
subsisted was always exceedingly small. Besides the building itself they
owned 2 acres of pasture land, 30 acres of arable land, and a rent charge
of IIS. 2d. on property in Hexham, Fallowfield, and Portgate. In all, their
income amounted to about 4 marks yearly. The neighbouring priory
supplied them with six loaves of black bread and four lagenas- of ale daily,
and they claimed in addition one lagena from every brewing on the priory
estate.
The earliest mention of the foundation is in a charter of King John,
dated February i6th, 1201, who granted to the lepers of Hexham freedom
from all manner of tolls in the counties of Northumberland and York. The
' In Ellis' edition of Dugdale's Monasticon the hospital of St. Giles and the Spital are treated as if
they were two distinct places. This error seems to have been copied from Wallis' History uj North-
mnherliimi. '"' See p. 153, note.
3IO THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GH.ES.
thirteenth century seems to have passed quietly and uneventfully enough
until 1296, when the Scotch invasions began, and these successive devasta
tions completely ruined the house. In the year 1320, the inmates complained
that the rents on Hexham, Fallowfield, and Portgate were no longer paid,
because the lands were waste. They only had four mules and four oxen for
ploughing, with one cow, and of these two mules and two oxen had been
lent to them by one William le Walde. Their corn would hardly suffice for
the sowing of the year. Finally, the priory, itself in greatly straitened
circumstances, instead of supplying six loaves of bread and four lagenas of
ale a day, had latterly only sent six loaves and two lagenas a week.
It is curious that these complaints should have been brought against the
mother church at a time when the same person, Robert de Whelpington,
was both master of the hospital and prior of Hexham. Such, however, was
the case, and it must have been about this time that the hospital brought an
action against the priory before the archbishop, for the purpose of compelling
the latter to supply the loaves and lagenas as they had done previously.
Against this action the prior and convent replied that the hospital of St.
Giles was not a free chapel, but a dependent of the parish church. As for
the ' hynbrede' and the ale, they were supplied as a gift of charity, and the
hospital was not entitled to them as a right. They also complain that the
witnesses brought against them were vagabonds of evil reputation who had
been paid to give false evidence. It is uncertain how the case was
ultimately decided, but the hospital continued to struggle on until 1378.
By this time the plague had completed the work of the Scots, and the
hospital, having gone from bad to worse, was at length ruined. Archbishop
Neville, therefore, in that year made it over to the prior and convent of
Hexham, together with all its property, only requiring that they should
maintain two poor people, either at the hospital or in the priory, and find a
chaplain to perform service in the hospital once a week. This arrangement
apparently continued for about twenty years, when the archbishops again
began to appoint masters. Before long, however, the hospital reverted to
the priory, and both houses ultimately became the property of Sir Raynold
Carnaby at the dissolution, the former being valued at 13s. 4d. a year. Like
the conventual buildings of the priory, the hospital was at once secularised,
and converted into a private residence.
<
H
!/)
W
H
H
<
O
o
H
c/2
W
D
a
o
o
thk hospital of st. giles. 31 i
List ok Masters.
1274, August 20. Walter de Scrapetoft, collated.
1313, June II. Robert le Porter, collated.
1318, April, 26. Robert de Whelpington, prior of Hexham, collated.
1328, July 22. Robert de Fcrghan of Corbridgc, chajjlain, collated.
Apparently reappointed on July 14, 1334, and February 2, 1344.
1354, May 5. Roger de Clone, domestic chaplain of the archbishop.
1354, July 20. Mr. William de Fenton, collated on Clone's resignation.
1359, August 6. John, son of William de Redshawe, sen. He resigned in 1378.
1398, July 18. John Martyn, the archbishop's domestic chaplain.
Thomas Parker.
1409, June 28. Nicholas Tydd, clerk, collated, exchanging for it with I'arkcr a stall
in St. Sepulchre's chapel at York.
1409, July 24. Mr. John Storthwayte collated.'
It is uncertain how long the Carnabv's remained in possession of the
Spital, but in 1626 the place was owned by Roger Widdrington, bailiiT of
the manor. Soon after this it was bought by Richard Carr, also bailiff of
the manor, and it remained for many years the residence of the He.xham
branch of the Carr family. Tn 1673, however, the name of William Pearson
occurs as the owner. The Pearson family also possessed the Spital at
Haltwhistle, and they remained at Hexham until 17 17, when they sold the
Spital to Cuthbert Robinson for ;£ 1,325. By his will, proved February ist,
1721, Robinson devised the estate to Fenwick and Shafto Downes, who
subsequently sold it to Joseph Ledgard of Elswick. The daughter and
heiress of Joseph Ledgard, by her will dated November loth, 1754,
bequeathed all her real and personal estate to her friend Mary Featherston-
halgh, daughter of Ralph Featherstonhalgh. In 1766 Mary Featherstonhalgh
devised the Spital to her niece, Eleanor, the wife of Bacon William Wastell
of Simondburn. Finally, in 1802, Wastell sold the estate to James Gibson,
who built the present house, and who subsequently changed his name to
Kirsopp. His grandson, Mr. James Kirsopp, is the present owner.
Among the curiosities preserved at the Spital are a prae-Conquest
cross, and an ancient image of St. Giles, which is said to have been cast
upon the fire as a yule log, and to have escaped without being burned.
' This account is drawn from documents printed in Hexhinii Priory, ii. pp. 89, 130-2, and from a MS.
of a suit between the priory and the hospital before the Ecclesiastical Court at York. See also Hcxiunii
Priory, ii. preface, pp. x.-xiii.
3i:
THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GILES.
WASTELL OF SIMONDBURN, THE SPITAL, AND OF NEWBROUGH/
Leonard Wastell of Scorton ; buried at Bolton-on-Swale, = Elizabeth, daughter of John Savile
N.R.Y. ; l8th Jan., 1664/5. of Methley.
John Wastell of Scor-
ton and Ainderby,
N.R.Y; baptised at
Bolton 25th Feb.,
1661/2.
John Wastell of =
Ainderby Steeple
and of Scorton ;
will dated nth
October, 1737 ;
proved at York,
30th May, 1739
Barbara, daughter of
Richard Peirse of Hut-
ton Bonville ; buried
at Bolton, 8th Oct.,
1690. (First wife.)
I
William Bacon of
Staward Peel, on
whose marriage
Styford was set-
tled on him and
his issue ; will
dated 14th Dec,
1743 ; proved
1748.
John Bacon of Staward ;
dated 3rd Sept., i
proved at York, 1737
died 25th Nov., I
buried at Haydon.
will
736;
736;
Isabel, daughter and heiress
of William Deacon of
Wolsingham ; buried at
All Saints', Newcastle, 20th
July, 1794.
= Margaret, daugh-
ter of Thomas
Forster
of Ad-
derston
; mar-
ried at
St. An-
drew's
Auck-
land, 1 3th Feb.,
1706.
I
John Bacon of New- =
brough and Bel-
lister ; buried at
Newbrough, 17th
July, 1736 ; died
in father's life-
time, leaving four
daughters, to each
of whom his
father left /l, 000.
Jane, daughter
of Thomas
Marshall of
Walltown.
She remar-
ried John
Blenkinsop.
Many other Henry Wastell, clerk in orders, baptised at Bolton-
children. on-Swale, 19th Feb., 1689, presented to rectory
of Simondburn, 1723 ; died 1st and buried
4th March, 1771, aged 82 (n) ; administration
granted at York, i6th April, 179S, to son
John (c).
= Frances, eldest daughter of William Bacon;
married at St. Andrew's Auckland, 15th
May, 1735; died 25th Aug., 1747;
buried at Haydon chapel, near the burial
place of her grandfather, John Bacon
C'i) (0-
I
John Wastell of = Han-
Ainderby Steeple nah
and of Risby, Chick-
Suffolk ; bap- en.
tised at Simond-
burn, 25th May,
1736 ; died in
1811 ; buried at
Risby ; ' a great
breeder of race
horses and a
member of the
Jockey club.'
Bacon William :
Wastell of the
Spital ; born
and baptised
1st March,
1739/40 (a) ;
afterwards of
Aydon, near
Corbridge.and
of Atherston ;
died at Car-
lisle, 19th
Nov., 1821,
aged 81 (</).
Eleanor, daugh-
ter of William
Featherston-
halgh of New-
castle ; married
at Hexham,
June I2th,
1766 (/); died
6th March,
1818, at Ain-
derby Steeple
(«0.
Leonard
... Pa tie
= Henry =
= Ann, widow
Isabel.
Was-
(second
Wastell,
of Middle-
Jane.
tell,
wife) ;
apothe-
ton Teas-
Frances.
bom
married
cary
dale of
(All
and
25th Jan.
(second
Slaley, and
named
bap-
1770, at
son),
daughter &
in grand-
tised
Bow
bom
co-heiress
father's
2nd
church,
1 6th
of John
will.)
May,
Durham.
March,
Bacon of
1744
1738
Newbrough
(a).
(e-).
buried at Newbrough,
17th Oct., I
?65 (0.
I I I
Three
other
cliildren.
John Daniel Wastell,
clerk in orders ;
born 20th July,
17S2 ; died 1873 ;
buried at Risby.
= Frances, daughter
and co-heiress of
Bacon William
Wastell ; born
1781 ; married
at Corbridge, 7th
April, 1811 ((/);
buried at Risby.
Mary, baptised 14th Oct.,
1767 (/); married John
Forster of Carlisle.
Their son, William
Forster of Houghton
hall, married Georgina,
daughter of F. Close,
dean of Carlisle.
Margaret Eleanora, bap-
tised 13th P'eb., 1769
(/) ; married i6th
June, 1784 (/5), Wil-
liam Sanderson (who
assumed the name of
Hodgson) of Tone,
and died s.p. i860.
Henry Wastell of Newbrough and of Bellister castle ; M.A. ;
clerk in orders ; fellow of Clare hall, Cantab. ; born at
Thornley hall, Durham ; christened at Newbrough, 6th
Feb., 1766 (0 ; died ..., 1848.
Ann Lindsay Wastell, daughter and heiress, born 1819 ; mar-
ried Gustavus Hamilton Coulson, and died , 1884.
si/
Ann, third daughter, of Thomas Henderson,
chamberlain, of Edinburgh ; married at
Edinburgh, 50th June, 1817 (d) ; died
^1865.
Frances Jane Wastell, born at Edinburgh,
Oct., 1820 ; died unmarried, 1837.
(a) Simond/iurn Register and M.I
((5) Chollerlon Register.
(e) Hodgson, Northumberland., ii. vol.
iii. pp. 324> 345. 349. 375-
(/) Hexham Register.
* See also Wastell pedigree in Dugdale's Visitation of Yorkshire.
(c) Raine, Testamenta.
(</) Newcastle papers.
THE HOSPITAL OF ST. GH.ES.
313
William Whytehead
of York ; died
20th Jan., 1SS8.
Frances, daughter and
co-heiress, born 1813 ;
married 1836 ; died
at York, 1858.
\ i ^^1 I
Eleanor ; married Thomas Walker of Other daughters,
Maunby hall, co. York. -1/ unmarried.
Mary ; married John Workedge, county
court judge of East Anglia. sU
Thomas Bowman Whytehead, born 1840 ; = Caroline Forster, daughter of Thomas Drought
now chapter clerk at York. of Plunketstown, Ireland.
Wastell William Drought Whitehead, born 1871,
and other issue.
PEARSON OF THE SPITAL.
William Pearson of the Spital, Hexham ; was assessed in =
1553 for Haltwhistle ; will dated 3rd June, i58o ; proved at
York, 5th Dec, i58i (</) ; Iiiq. p.m., 1683.
Robert Pearson of Bishop-
field in Allendale, son
and heir ; ' of full age
in 1683'; buried 15th
March, 1695/6 («) ; will
dated i6th Feb., 1695/6 ;
proved at York, 26th
Nov., 1696 (./), by
Robert Pearson and
Frances Tingate, the
executors.
Jane ... ; William Pearson of the
[?buried Spital, Hexham, lord of
i6th Haltwhistle manor ; bur-
Sept., ied in Hexham church,
I707(«')]. I2lh May, 1708 («); will
dated 7th May, 1708 ;
proved at York ; devised
Haltwhistle Spital to
son John, and manor of
Haltwhistle to eldest son
William.
Margaret ; was execu-
trix to husband's will, and
in 1 71 3 party to division of
Haltwhistle, then described
as of St. Giles' Spital,
Hexham (c) ; buried 21st
March, 1726/7 (a) ; will
dated ; proved at
York, 28th Sept., 1727,
by Mary Pearson, the
daughter and sole execu-
trix (d).
. I
Robert Pearson of Bishopfield ; to whom = Isabel ;
was granted at York, 28th Nov., 1701, buried Sth
administration to his wife, Isabel May, 1700
Pearson, alias Markham. {/).
Margery ; mar-
ried [? firstly,
... Dacre, and
secondly,] ...
Maughan.
Jane ; married
... Hawdon.
II i. I I I
Christopher. Elizabeth; married ... Lowes. -J/
William; bur. Jane; married ... Wilson.
23rd Nov., Margaret; m.uried ... Talentire.
1696 (J). Frances ; married ... Tingate.
Prudence Carr of
the parish of
Houghton -le-
Spring ; bond
of marriage,
17th Aug.,
1710; buried
in Hexham
church 7th
June, 171 1 («)■
I
William Pearson of the
Spital, Hexham, to
whom his grand-
father devised the
' cubbert in the hall '
and certain other
fixtures ; succeeded
to manor of Halt-
whistle under father's
will and was party
to division of Halt-
whistle in 1 713 (.:).
Mary Green-
well of
the parish
of Gates-
head ;
bond of
marriage,
6th Dec,
1712.
John Pearson of
theSpital, Halt-
whistle,baptised
26th Jan., 1693
((/); as an infant
was party to di-
vision of Halt-
whistle in 1 71 3
(<r) ; [ ? buried
30th: Aug., 1765
00].
I I I
Robert ; buried
22nd Dec,
1695 (a).
George ; buried
I Sth Feb.,
1698/9 («).
John ; buried
26th Jan.,
1692/3 {a).
\ I
Ann, eldest
daughter,
for whom
her father
charged the
manor of
Haltwhistle
with .^200.
Jane ; buried
22nd March,
1685/6 («).
William Pearson ; baptised Dec, 1715
(si). [? ' 24th Oct., Mr. Wm. Pear-
son of the shire buried'] (a).
Mary, married at Warden, 20th June, 1728, Matthew Leadbitter of
Wharmley (third wife). Articles before marriage, loth May,
1728. He purchased Haltwhistle Spital in 1726 (c). Their only
child Mary was living unmarried in 1760 (/<) (c).
(«) Hexham Register.
(I>) Hodgson, Northumberland, ii, vol. iii. p. 410.
Vol. Ill,
(<r) Arch. Ael. vol. xvi. p. 169.
((f) Raine, Testamenta.
(e) Allendale Register.
40
314
APPENDIX I.
Sopwith (T.)
Piittinson (H. L.)
Wallace (William)
Wood (N.)
8.
9-
10.
II.
13-
Wood (N. and others)
Sopwith (T.)
Cowen (Joseph) ...
Bewick (T. J.) ...
Tate (George) ...
De Ranee (C. E.)
IS-
1 6.
17-
i8.
19-
23'
24.
APPENDIX I.
REFERENCES TO GEOLOGICAL PAPERS ( Continued from Vol. II.).
1. Anon Account of Strata passed through in two borings at Stublick
Colliery. Borings and Sinkings, i^()^, \-o\. v. {a.-r.) ^. 221 ... 1757
2. Sopwith (T.) Geological Sections of Lead Mines at Alston Moor and Tcesdale.
Durham ... ... ... ... ... 1829
3. Budle (John) Synopsis of several Seams of Coal in the Newcastle District.
Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Northd. and Durham, vol. i. p. 215 ... 1830
An Account of the Mining Districts of Alston Moor. Alnwick ... 1833
An .A-Ccount of the Method of Smelting Lead Ore. Trans. Nat.
Hist. Soc. Norihd. and Durham, vol. ii. p. 152 1838
The Mining Districts of Alston Moor. London 1861
On the Upper and Lower Beds of Coal in the Counties of Northum-
berland and Durham. Trans. North of England Inst. Engineers,
vol. xi. map and sections ... ... ... ... 1862
Coal Mining. Trans. North of England Inst. Engineers, \o\. ii\\. ... 1863
On the Lead Mining Districts of the North of England. Trans.
North of England Inst. Engineers, vol. xVn. p. 18S 1864
Industrial Resources of the Tyne, Wear, and Tees. 2nd ed. p. 207 1864
On Mining in the Mountain Limestone of the North of England.
Trans. North of England Inst. Engineers, vol. xviii. p. 163 ... i86g
On the Geology of the District traversed by the Roman Wall.
Bruce' s Roman Wall, 3rd edition ... ... 1869
On the Occurrence of Lead, Zinc, and Iron Ores in some rocks of
Carboniferous age in the North- West of England. Geol. Mag.
vol. X. p. 303 1873
On the Little Limestone and its accompanying Coal in South
Northumberland. Trans. North of England Inst. Engineers,
vol. xxiv. p. 73 1874
On the Great and Four-Fathom Limestones and their Associated
Beds in South Northumberland. Trans. North of England
Inst. Engineers, vol. xxiv. p. 133 1875
The Coal Seams of Northumberland and Durham Coalfield. New-
castle-on-Tyne ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1877
Brief Notes on some Sections of the Carboniferous Limestone
Series of Northumberland. Trans. North of England Inst.
Engineers, vol. xxviii. p. 3 ... ... 1878
A Treatise on a Section of the Strata from Newcastle-on-Tyne to
Cross Fell '. 1S83
Petrographical Notes on some North of England Dykes. (Brunton
Dyke.) Q. J. Geol. Soc. vol. xl. p. 209 18S3
Brief Notes on the Geology of Corbridge. Pror. Berw. Nat. Club,
vol. X. p. 121 1884
Ore Deposits, pp. 180-190 ... ... ... ... ... ... 18S4
Correlation of the Coal Seams of the Carboniferous Fonnation in
the North of England. Trans. North of England Inst.
Engineers, vol. xxvi. p. 15 1SS7
North Country Sketches. Durham 1893
On certain Surface Features of the Glacial Deposits of the Tyne
\'alley. Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc. Newcastle 1S94
14. Lebour (Prof. G. A.)
Do.
Do.
Simpson (J. B.)
Lebour (Prof G. A.) ...
Forster (Westgarth) and
Hall(W.)
Teall (J. J. H.)
Lebour (Prof. G
A.)
Phillips (J. A.) ...
Brown (M. Walton)
Neasham (George)
Lebour (Prof. G. A.)
kJ
Wl
—
>
w
X
1-1
Q
H
Z
H
lU
W
a
W
Q.
o
<
«J
J
pq
z
o
H
O
u
(A
!
i-y
5
I
:5
I
I.
E a
QDO
APPENDIX III.
315
APPENDIX III.
SECTIONS OF STRATA PIERCED BY THE SHAFTS ON THE LINE OF THE
'BLACKETT LEVEL' IN EAST ALLENDALE.
Studdon
Dene Shaft.*
Ft.
tnc
Ft.
Ins.
ins.
Little limestone ...
12
0
White hazel
Hazel ...
3
0
Plate ...
27
0
Limestone and hazel
5
8
Plate and coal ...
13
0
Crankey level.
Famp ...
3
2
High coal sill
17
0
Hazel ...
••
-
Plate ...
12
0
HOI.MES
Linn Shaft.
Low coal sill
6
0
Gravel ...
12
0
Coal and plate ...
18
6
Plate ...
...
29
3i
Great limestone ...
60
0
Little limestone .
6
5
New Gin level.
Hazel posts
3
II
Shale ...
30
0
Plate and coal .
7
4
Mark's level.
High coal sill
28
4
Pl.-ite ...
24
0
Plate and coal .
...
I
5
Limestone post ...
3
0
Low coal sill
4
7
Quarry hazel
24
0
Plate ...
34
I
Four fathom level.
Great firestone .
6
7
Plate ...
45
0
Famp ...
0
6
Four-fathom limestone
24
0
Plate ...
20
6
Natrass (jill hazel
25
0
Great limestone .
45
0
(
Blackett level.'
SiPTON Shaft.
Alluvium
108
0
Holmes
Linn Shaft.
Quarry hazel
31
0
Gravel ...
12
0
Plate
36
9i
Plate ...
29
3^
Four-fathom limestone
21
8^
Little limestone .
6
5
Famp ...
I
iii
Hazel post
3
II
Natrass Gill hazel
24
8
Plate and coal .
7
4
Shale
62
4
High coal sill
28
4
Three yard limestone
9
II
Plate and coal
I
5
Grey famp
3
2
Low coal sill
4
7
Six fathom hazel...
14
8
Plate ...
34
1
' Blackett level.'
Great firestone .
6
7
Famp ...
0
6
Breckon Hill Shaf
T.
Plate ...
20
6
Alluvium
40
6
Great limestone .
45
0
Great limestone ...
68
6
(
Blackett level.'
Shale
19
0
Quarry hazel
74
7
Gl
N H
ILL Shaft.*
Plate and coal .
15
5
Plate ...
10
3
Firestone
33
0
Four-fathom limestone
22
0
Plate ...
24
0
Famp ...
2
10
'Whin' sill
15
0
Natrass Gill hazel
30
8
Plate ...
27
0
Shale
52
8
Top level.
Three yard limestone
10
7
Pattinson's sill
...
12
0
Famp ...
3
5
Shale ...
...
21
0
' Blackett level.'
* N.B. These shafts do not penetrate to the depth of the 'Blackett level.'
mc COAL-FIELD.
ST
Sandstone
SHAL;
Coal '-: B i^Scah
Qrey Beds
Canwcl Coal 1 2
immai^^m^-:^^
-.-.^iftRiKj-iacv*
APPENDIX IV.
SECTIONS THROUGH THE STUBLICK COAL-FIELD.
AFTER H.M. OEOLOQIOAL SURVEY SHEETS.
STUBLICK COLLIEftY,
Wet Shaft.
FATHOMSIFEET
CARTSBOGG COLLIERY,
Engine Pit.
STUBLICK COLLIERY,
Clay
^ Yard-Coal Outcrop
FATHOMS
Shale \
Coal q! 6" }-Seam
West Pit.
'(Brey Beds
Shale
Coal 3 8^ Main
Fireclay \
Sandstone
ANO^
Grey Beds
-POAL r 2"
"Foot Seam
; Sandstone
Shale
Coal 2' 2' little seam
Fireclay
Coal 1 ' 9" Stone Seam
\ Drift
Shale
T^ Coal S"
Fireclay
Coal 2' 8" Yard Seam
Fireclay
.:=. Blue Metal
Coal 2' 8" I-Seam
Blue Metal
: :^.!,^;;^.^{ sandstone
Blackstone 9'
Sandstone
Coal 9
Metal
Sandstone
Cannel Coal 1 2
Metal
Sandstone
Mussel Shell Band
Sandstone
Blue Metal
Coal 2'8''' Yard Seam
Fireclay
MiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipiMimiimiji;
Sandstone
Blue Metal
Coal 2' 8"3-Seam
Coal 3 8 Main Seam
Fireclay
Sandstone
Metal and Ironstone
Coal 1" 1 '
Fireclay
Sandstone
Blue Metal a Girdles
CoalI 8 Little Seam
Sandstone
Grey Metal
Stone Coal l' 4
And* Reid J. Compr L'^ Newcaiille ocTyn-e
INDEX.
3^7
INDEX.
A.
Abbey house, inheriteil by Williiim Fenwick, 57 ; de-
sired by Slingsby, 247 ; Sir John Fenwick at, 255 ;
condition in 1806, 261; destroyed by fire, 262;
owners of, 296.
Acca, bishop of Hexham, 11 2-4, 11 6-7; completes St.
Mary's, 201 ; referred to, 124 n ; relics of, 120-1,
123, '25 n> "32. '35-
— cross, 114; described, 181-2.
Acom, Richard de, bailiff, 65.
Acomb, township, i; Subsidy Roll, 33; survey of (1547),
53i 68-9; rents in 1536, 55; coal mine near, 83;
survey of 1608, 100-2; total rents, 103; priory
land at, 139, 150 ; tithes, 159.
— and Wall grieveship, 26, 58, 86.
Act of 1414 to reduce privileges of shire, 40, 41 n ;
non-success of, 44.
— 1572, Hexhamshire thrown into Northumberland,
56, 59, 63.
— 1 60 1 to repress disorder on Borders, 60.
— 1841 dealing with manorial courts, 64.
— 1867 dealing with manorial courts, 64.
— Parish Councils, 295.
— Public Health, 295.
Acton, tenements in East Allendale, 73, 97, 103.
Ada, mother of William the Lion, 135.
Adescroft, priory property at, 153.
Adeson, Isabel, scaleraker, 281.
— Thomas, amerced, 286.
Administration of Hexhamshire, 26-30 ; abuses in, 35-8 ;
of the priory, 126-8.
Adon, Robert, tenant, 93.
yEUa, King, coins of, 243.
Aelred, abbot of Rievaulx, 119; his book, Df Sanctis,
123 n, 135.
Affearers, 277-8.
Agatho, Pope, decree of, 106 ; sides with Wilfrid, iio.
Agistments in 1487, 43 ; in 1547, 54, 73-4, 76, 78.
Agnew, Major, taken prisoner, 253.
Agriculture of Hexhamshire, 13-7.
Aidan, educates Eata, 108.
Airey, William, curate, 171.
Akedown, Catton, 85, 88.
Akewood, ferm of, 69 ; herbage of, loi.
Alberic, Bishop, mission of, 134.
Alchmund, bishop of Hexham, no n, 114, 116; re-
ferred to, 124 n ; relics of, 120, 132, 135.
— Prince, no n.
Alcuin, letter to Bishop Ethelberht, 116.
Aldfrith, King, restores Wilfrid, no; banishes him,
n I ; death, 112.
Aldred, shrine keeper, 119 ; covets relics, 123.
Alfred, King, confirms .grant, 117 n.
Allen grieveship, 11.
Allendale, East, lead mining in, 10, 54, 83 ; survey of
'547i 53. 71-5; rents in 1536, 55; division of
manor, 58, 59, 86; survey of 1608, 95-7; total
rents, 103.
— West, lead mining in, 10 ; mines closed, 13 ; survey
of 1547, 53, 75-6; rents in 1536, 5;; division of
manor, 58-9, 86; survey of 1608, 97-8, 103.
— common, elevation of, 7.
— forest, stray cattle seized, 37 ; outrents granted, 59 ;
fines in, 74.
— parish, 1 ; divisions of, 11 ; agricultural returns, 13,
16; tithes of, 57, 159; contributes to grammar
school, 218 ; Scurr, curate of, 225.
Allendale Town, Subsidy Roll, 33 ; division of manor,
58, 86; survey of 1608, 87-8; total rent, 103;
priory property in, 150; railway to, 267 ; church of
St. Mary, 72, 131, 202 n ; chantry, 57, 88 ; .\llenton,
Alwenton.
AUenheads, quarrying near, 7 ; lead mine at, 11.
Allenton and Catton grieveship, 27.
— park, ferm of, 43.
AUerkeepers, 277-8.
Allerwash, priory land at, 140, 151; tithes, 159;
Alrewes, Alweiche.
AUgood, Bartholemew, papist, 257.
— Dorothy, charity of, 177.
— George, one of 24, 276 ; fined, 279.
— James, legacy to, 177.
— Launcelot (1646), bailiff, 65 ; governor of grammar
school, 224.
— Launcelot C'725), bailiff, 65.
— Major, trustee of manor, 302.
— Margaret, charity of, 176 ; lost, 177.
— Mary, charity of, 176.
— Richard, papist, 61.
— Robert, breaks Sabbath, 1-5 ; papist, 257.
3i8
INDEX.
Allgood, Thomas (1670), bailiff, 65.
-f Thomas (1690), bailiff, 65, 176-7; enmity to
Ritschell, 170, 222.
— Thomas (1736), bailiff, 65 ; house for curate, 166.
— of Hexham, family, account of, 300, 302 ; house of,
307.
Almoner, official of priory, 126 ; rents appropriated to,
151.
Almshouses, 80, 177; endowment of, 219; repairs, 286.
Alnburgh, priory property at, 150.
Alnmouth, identified with Twyford, 109 ; road to, 266.
Alnwick, ride to, 84 ; schoolmasters at, 211 ; warden of
Middle Marches at, 246; rebels retire towards, 250.
— castle, captured, 251.
— monastery, revenue of, 157.
Alresford, Mitfords at, 299.
Alrewes, Uctred de, gift to priory, 140.
Alston, Simon de, leases lead mine, 10.
Alston, priory property at, 140, 150, 158 ; petition for
advowson, 147, 148 n ; tithes, 159; schoolmaster
at, 211.
Alured, sacrist of Durham, 22 ; priest at Hexham,
119 ; removes body of AUhmund, 120 ; referred to,
121-3.
Amerciaments by borough jury, 282-3.
Amsterdam, Stackhouse minister at, 224.
Amsworth, Henry de, pays subsidy, 31.
Anderson, George, papist, 6j.
— Ralph, annuity to, 62.
Anderton, Stephen, bailiff, 65 ; a baptist, 207.
■ , master of grammar school, 224.
Andrews, Ann, legacy to, 172 ; will of, 175 ; M.I., 197.
• — Bowes, baptised, 174.
— George, 172 n.
— Gerard, legacy to, 172, 174.
— Hannah, legacy to, 175.
— Honour, legacy to, 172, 175 ; M.I., 197.
— Lawrence, legacy to, 172.
— Robert, legacy to, 172 ; gift of church plate, 175 ;
charity of, 177 ; M.I., 197.
— Thomas, lecturer, 172 ; burial place, 175 ; M.I.,
197 ; share of common, 258 n.
Angas, Lazarus, M.L, 199.
Anick, township, i ; Subsidy Roll, 33 ; injustice to
tenants, 61 ; payment for herbage, loi ; Eilaf
holds lands at, 125 ; property of priory, 139, 149,
158 ; tithes, 159.
— Grange, manor of, constituted, 57 ; property of
priory, 139, 149 ; division of common, 258.
Antioch, Babylas, bishop of, 135.
Apperley, priory fief, 141 ; Apetreley.
Appleby, John, rioter slain, 260.
Appleton, Thomas de, prior, 29 n, 165.
Appletreeshield, West Allendale, 76, 98 ; Treeshield.
Ap Rice, visitation of, 156.
Archbishops. See Canterbury and York.
Architecture, Hexham priory, 177-92 ; St. Mary's, 201,
203-4; the two towers, 231-5.
Ardley, tenement, 77, 90-1.
Armstrong, Alexander, tenant, 69, 80, 83.
— • Anthony, accused of Border treason, 49.
— Charles (1608), tenant, 91.
— Charles (1644), rated, 254.
— Clement, prisoner, released, 229.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 67.
— Edward, tenant, 91, 94.
— Elizabeth, tenant, 88.
— George (1547), tenant, 77-8.
— George (1608), tenant, lOO-i.
— Gerrard, tenant, loi.
— Isaac, fined, 279.
— John (1547), tenant, 68-9, 77, 80-1, 83.
— John (1608), tenant, 100.
— John of Allenheads, papist, 61.
— John of Woodhead, papist, 61.
• — John (1761), rioter slain, 260.
— Lancelot, tenant, 91, 94.
— Matthew (1608), tenant, loi.
— Matthew (1653), finds bees, 294.
— Michael, sworn man, 27.
— Percival, tenant, 92, 100.
— Richard (1479), priory tenant, 149.
— Richard (1547), tenant, 68-9, 83.
— Richard (1608), tenant, 99-101.
— Robert (1547), tenant, 83, 264.
— Robert (1608), tenant, 91, loo-i.
— Thomas (1536), steward of court, 55.
— Thomas (1547), tenant, 77-9, 81.
— Thomas (1745), papist, 61.
— William (1547), tenant, 68-9, 78.
— William (160S), tenant, 93, 100.
tenant, 94.
Arundel, earl of, witness, 268 n.
Ashe, Roger, freeholder, 82.
Ashes, tenement, 75, 98 ; Esshes.
Asheton, Wolsey's chancellor, 47.
Ask, Richard, bailiff, 226 n. ; appointed for life, 28,
65 ; farms ferry, 265
Asketill, prior of Hexham, 126, 132-3, 164.
Atchani, church of St. Eata at, no n.
INDEX.
319
Atkinson, Dorothy, M.I., 200.
— Emma, M.I., 200.
— John, M.I., 200.
— Robert (1745), papist, 61.
— Robert (1761), rioter, slain, 260.
Auditor, official of manor, 30.
— clerk of, payment to, 67-70, 74, 76, 79, 84, S6.
Augsten, Samuel, preacher, 173.
Augustine, St., order of, canons sent to Ile.xliam, 119,
126; rules of, 126-30, 156; enforced, 143.
Axelodunum, identified with Hexham, 241.
Axholme, prior of, 163 n.
Aydon, John, ale taster, 277.
— Philip, payment to, 173.
Aydon Shields, tenement, 77, 87; priory lands at, 141,
150 ; Aldschel.
Aynsley, John, gives church plate, 175 ; M.I., 197.
B.
Babylas, Bishop, relics of, 135.
Bacon, of Stawardj family of, 312.
Badgers, regulations for, 291.
Bagraw, freehold, 82, 91.
Bailiffs : Thomas AUgood (1690), 170, 176-7 ; Thomas
Allgood (1736), 166; Richard .''ksk, 28, 226 n, 264;
Sir Robert Bowes, 54-5, 67-71, 74, 76, 79, S3-6,
228, 235; Reynold Carnaby, 49-52, 79, 82-3,229;
Patrick Crow, 276 ; Lord Dacre, 10, 46-9, 52, 54,
158, 162, 228; Ralph Fenwick, 49; Thomas de
Featherstonhalgh, 24 n, 29 n ; Henry de Menill,
39, 263 n; Sir Humphrey Neville, 45; Richard,
140 ; Roger de Saxton, 36-7 ; Robert de Skypton,
139 ; Roger de Thornton, 146 n ; William de
Toluse, 24 n, 37, 38 n ; Sir John de Vans, 36 n, 39,
263 n; Roger de Whalton, 34; Roger Widdrington,
59, 102, 104, 311; duties and powers, 28-9;
privileges preserved in 1572, 29 ; abuse of power of,
36-7 ; proposed as keeper of Tynedale, 49 ; ad-
mittance by, 63-4; list of, 64-5; salary of, 84, 102;
fee for dinner, 102 ; residence of, see Moot hall.
' Bailiffpotte ' abolished, 36.
Bainbridge, Antony, tenant, 79.
— Richard, tenant, 79.
Bale hills, term explained, 9.
Ball, John, tenant, 68,
Balliol, lord of, confirms gift to priory, 141.
— Bernard de, gift to priory, 141.
— Edward, receives grant of regality, 39 ; proposed
conference with, 244.
— Hugh de, gift to priory, 141-2.
Bambnrgh, Sir Humpluuy Neville at siege of, 45;
Cynewulf banished to, 114.
Bannatyne, Peter, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Baptists at Hexham, 206-8, 211.
Barker, Rev. H. C, residence of, 166; curate and
rector, 171 ; lecturer, 172.
— Robert, priory tenant, 149.
Barker house, tenement, 78.
Barnard Castle, priory pension from, 147-8.
Baron, Henry de, steward, 65.
Barrasford, priory lands at, 140, 151 ; tithes, 159, 167.
Barrett, Elizabeth, friend of M. R. Mitford, 300.
Barrier, Rev. Michael, buried, 175.
Bartholemew, Thomas (1479), priory tenant, 14S.
— ■ Thomas (1547), tenant, 82.
Barton, Henry de, farms ferry, 264.
Barugh, priory property, 154.
Barweford, Robert de, pays subsidy, 32.
Bastenwette, Robert, tenant, 85.
Bataillie, Stephen, gift to priory, 140.
— Theophania de la, gift to priory, 141.
B.ite, John, account of, 302-3.
Bates (Mitford), Catherine, married, 29S.
— Sarah («<-> Mitford), married, 298.
Bateshill, lead mine, 10 ; tenement, 75, 98.
Bateson, .\nne, scaleraker, 281.
— Christopher, tenant, 9S.
— Johanna, priory tenant, 149.
— Marmaduke, tenant, 98.
— William, tenant, 75.
Bathous, Roger del, pays subsidy, 31.
— Thomas del, pays subsidy, 32.
— William del, pays subsidy, 33.
Bayman, Robert, parish clerk, 172-3.
Bearpark, Edward, Methodist, 209 n.
Beaufront, tenants in 1547, S3; priory lands at, 149,
158.
Beaumont, priory property, 140, 151.
Beaumont, Diana, lead mines of, 11 ; succeeds to Hex-
ham, 62-3 ; fixes fair, 268.
— T. R., lead mines of, 11; lord of manor, 62-3 ; gift
to school, 225 ; entertains Miss Mitford, 261 ; fixes
fair, 26S.
— Thomas Wentworth, succeeds to Hexham manor,
62-3; gives land to Presbyterians, 210; gift to
school, 225.
■ — W. B., enterprise in lead mining, 12 ; lord of
manor, 62-3 ; gift to board school, 225 ; opens new
buildings, 262.
— W. C. B., succeeds to manor, 62-3.
320
INDEX.
Beda, pupil of John of Beverley, no ; friend of Acca,
1 12-4.
Bee, Christopher (1547), reeve of Keenley, 71 ; of
West Allendale, 75.
— Christopher (160S), tenant, 97, 103.
— Matthew (1547), lead mining by, 10 ; tenements of,
72-3. 75-6, 79> 85-
— Matthew (1608), tenements of, 87-9, 96-8.
— Thomas (1547), tenant, 72-4, 86.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 88, 104.
— William, tenant, 98.
Bell, Charlotte (iie'i Roberts), married, 297.
— • Cuthbert (1608), tenant, 92.
— Cuthbert (1680), detains money, 220 n ; one of 24,
276 ; appointed searcher, 285.
— Cuthbert (1704), inventory of goods, 174.
— Eliza, clandestinely married, 175.
— George, Independent, 20S n.
— John (1608), tenant, 92, 219 n.
— John (1661), one of 24, 276 ; affearer and surveyor,
2/7-
— John (1803), bailiff, 65,
— John, jun. (1809), bailiff, 65.
— Joseph, charity of, 177.
— Peter (1599), governor of grammar school, 21 1.
— Peter (1642), payment to, 224.
— Robert, governor of grammar school, 221.
— William (1608), freeholder, 87, 92.
— William (1661), surveyor, 277.
— William, Independent, 208 n.
— William C'773)) charity of, 219.
Bellacis, Richard, farms Hallington, 69-70; report on
gaol, 229.
Bells, repaired, 173; not rung for dissenters, 174;
account of, 194-7 ; the fray, 160, 195 ; broken, 197.
Belyngham, Nicholas, bailiff, 65.
Bemound, Robert, paj's subsidy, 32.
Benedict, order of St., Eilaf joins, 132.
Benham Valence, Stackhouse, vicar of, 224.
Benton, Tobias, hung bells, 195.
Benwell, priory lands at, 141, 153.
Bernard, St., influence on Biseth, 134.
— prior, 164; dispute with Bishop Farnham, 136.
Bernicia, diocese formed, 107 ; Eata bishop, 108.
Bertram, Ellen, 193 n.
— Robert, 193 n.
— Roger, gift to |)riory, 141.
Berwick, presbytery of, 210 n; schoolmasters at, 211 ;
Lord Hunsdon at, 251.
Beumound, Waller de, pays subsidy, 33.
Beverley, men from, help Hexham rioters, 44; churches
freed from castellans, 130; Maton, canon of, 125;
canon of, sent to Hexham, 125.
Bewclay, i ; limestone at, 6 ; Subsidy Roll, 32 ; free-
hold, 81; copyhold, 100; tithes, 159. Bokelef,
Buckley.
Bewick, John W., bishop, 206.
— Sir Robert, debtors of, 59.
— William, master of grammar school, 224.
Bibliography, Hexham, 169-71, 198, 206-7, 2^4-51 260-1,
303-4.
Bildeston, Rotherham dies at, 305.
Bingefel, Walter de, pays subsidy, 32.
Bingfield, i ; Subsidy Roll, 32 ; freehold, 82, 87 ;
priory property, 139, 149, 151, 158.
— chapel, tithes, 159, 167 ; lectureship, 167 ; neglected,
202 n.
Binkefeld, John de, pays subsidy, 34.
Birkhott, tenement, 98.
Birthe, les, tithes of, 159.
Birllej', priory property at, 140, 151, 158.
Bischop, Roger, priory tenant, 148.
Biseth, Robert, prior, 145, 164; elected, 127 n, 132;
resigned, 134.
Bishopfield, tenement, 85, 88.
Bishopside, tenement, 85, 88.
Bitchfield, pays tithes to priory, 136, 141.
Black Book of Hexham, 148-54, 157.
Blackburn, Jonathan, papist, 61.
Black Cleugh, tenements, 73, 76, 96, 98.
Black Death, ravages Hexhamshire, 42.
Blackett, Sir Edward, augments curacy, 166 ; puts
pews in church, 168 ; grant of burial place to, 175 ;
marriage, 297.
— Elizabeth, 62.
— Julia Qiee Conyers), 63.
— Dame Mary, gift to grammar school, 219 ; wife of
Nicholas Roberts, 296-7.
— Sir Walter Calverley, 62-3, 195 ; promises ground
to church, 166 ; share of common, 258 ; erects
shambles, 261 ; begins bridge, 265 ; lays out Sele,
307.
— Sir William (d. 1708), employs 'foreigners' in lead
mines, 11 ; buys manor, 62 ; descendants of, 62-3 ;
action against Ritschell, 170.
— Sir William (d. 1728), inherits manor, 62-3 ; mar-
riage, 197 ; expected to join rebels, 255-6.
— Sir William (1758), augments Hexham living, 166.
See Calverley and Wentworth.
Blackett level, the great, 6, 8, 12.
INDEX.
321
Black hill, tenement, 78.
Black Jack beheaded, 245.
Blacklock, Jenkyn, tenant, 89.
— John, wait, 280.
— Thomas, sworn man, 27.
Blair, James, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Blanchland, revenue of priory, 157; Hudson, curate
of, 224 ; rioters from, 260.
Blaydon, railway to, 267.
Blenheim, victory of, celebrated, 196.
Blenkinsop, Gabriel, governor of grammar school, 211.
— Thomas de, bailiff, 65.
Bloome, Sarah, buried, 72.
Bohetfield, Matthew, tenant, 85.
Bohun, Humphrey de, witness, 268 n.
Boisil, pupil of Eata, 108.
Bolbeck, Walter de, confirms gift, 141.
Boles, term explained, 9.
Bolmer, Rauf de, men at arms, 39 n.
Bolton, Thomas, master of grammar school, 224.
Bolum, Alina de, gift to priory, 140- 1.
Booth, Lawrence, archbishop of York, 44, 155.
Border Counties railway, 267.
Borough jury, a Court Leet, 275-6 ; choose officers,
276-82 ; fines by, 282-3 ; sanitary regulations,
284-6 ; treatment of foreigners, 287-8 ; trade regu-
lations, 288-91 ; fix date of hirings, 291-2 ; petition
about abuses, 292 ; utilise sports, 293 ; care for
lord's rights, 293-4.
Boroughbridge, attack on men of, 44.
— Gilbert de, appointed prior, 145, 165 ; pensioned,
146.
Bosa, consecrated bishop, 107 ; master of Acca, 1 12.
Boso, William, son of, gift to priory, 141.
Bounty, Queen Anne's, 165-6.
Bowes, Dr., sponsor, 174.
— Jane, sponsor, 174.
— Sir Robert, steward and bailiff, 54-5, 65, 67-71, 74,
76, 79, 83-6 ; survey by, 228, 230.
Bowet, John, de Hoperton, bailiff, 65.
Bowett, Henry, archbishop, rents due to, 43 ; Scots
inroads, 54, 66; deposes John of He.xham, 127 n,
154-
Bowker, George, master of grammar school, 225.
Bowman, Robert, surveyor, 27.
Bowrows, Lord, of Tarset hall, 249.
Boyd, John, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Bradshaw, beheaded, 245.
Braidwood, John (1608), tenant, 89.
. — John (1672), sworn man, 27.
Vol. in.
Bramley, Hants, Airey, vicar of, 171.
Brancepeth, messenger reaches, 161.
Brawby, John de, prior, 165.
liniwliy, priory lands at, 154, 159.
Brenkley, priory mill at, 141 ; rent, 152.
Brenlington, prior of, 131 n.
Brewirig, service to priory, 149, 152-4.
Brickmakers, licence to, 290.
Bridekirk, John de, prior, 165.
Bridelington, Robert de, steward, 65 ; order to furnish
gaol, 226.
— Walter de, steward, 65.
Bridge, the Hexham, order to build, 263 ; attempts to
build, 265-6 ; the present, 266 ; ancient, 308.
Bridgeal, tenement, 86, 89.
Bridlington, canons, entertain, 138.
— priory, transepts of, 1S7.
Brihtwald, Archbishop, opposes Wilfrid, III.
Brinkburn priory, canons at, 138 n ; revenue of, 157;
transepts of, 187.
Broadgate head, tenement, 95.
Broadlee, tenement, 76, 98.
Broadley, Margaret, charity of, 176; lost, 177.
Broadvvood hall, tenement, 71, 88.
Broomley, rioters from, 260.
Brotcher, George, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Brotchie, Robert, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Broughton, priory property at, 153, 159.
Brown, Abraham, master of grammar school, 224.
— Anthony, rioter, slain, 260.
— Edward, papist, 257.
— Humphrey, rioter, slain, 260.
— John (1745), papist, 257.
— John (1761), vicar of Newcastle, 260.
— Robert, rioter, slain, 260.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 92.
— Thomas (1644), rated, 254.
Browning, Robert, poet, 300.
Bruce, Robert, invades England, 146.
Bruneman, pays subsidy, 33.
Brunton, residence of Charles Lee, 172.
— dyke, 8.
Buckley. Sfe Bewclay.
Buckeley, Patrick de, pays subsidy, 32.
Bull baiting, regulations for, 293.
Bulloc, Hugh, bribes Touluse, 37, 38 n.
Bullock, John, a felon, 85.
Bullocks hott, tenement, 71.
Bulls hill, tenement, 72, 87.
Bunton, Mabel, scaleraker, 281.
41
INDKX.
Burbage, Wilts, Andrews, vi<-;ir of, 172 n.
Burdess, Michael, slain, 260.
Burdus, George, tenant, 96.
— ■ Thomas, tenant, 96.
Burley, Captain, 174.
Burn, Catholic priest, 205 n.
Burnell, John, tenant, 79.
Burnfoot, tenement, 71, S7. Burnescotte.
Burnlaw, tenements, 27, 71, Sg.
Burntongues, tenement, 71. 90.
Burr, Northumberland, south-west limit of, 18.
Burrell, Thomas, 197.
Bursar, official of priory, 126, 129; rent appropriated
to, 151.
Burtreeford dyke, 5.
Burtree north fell, elevation of, 7.
Bury, Richard de, bishop of Durham, 39 n ; remits
payment, 143.
Busby, George, curate, 171 ; master of grammar
school, 224.
Butchers to supply bulls for baiting, 2;)3.
Buxton, reads prayers to rebels, 256.
Byres, priory property, 139, 151, 15S.
Bywell, William, prior, 127 n, 165.
Bywcll barony, priory property in, 152 ; executions in,
251.
— parish, rioters from, 260.
C.
Cadden, coal mine near, 54, 59, 83, 101 ; Codden.
S^e Catton.
Caddon, George de, tenant, 85.
Cadeiou, Thurkilly de, gift to priory, 140.
Caldestrother, priory lands at, 140-1, 151.
Calefactory, the priory, 188-9.
Calixtus 11., confirms property of York, 130.
Calverley, Julia (kcV Blackett), 63.
— Sir Walter, 62-3.
Cambhou, John de, homage to priory, 141.
Cambridge colleges, Gains, 171; St. John's, 172, 218-9,
224 5, 260, 304 ; Magdalen, 303 ; Peterhouse, 303.
Canal, proposed, to Hexham, 266.
Cann, Nicholas, priest, buried, 175.
Canons, resist dissolution, 50 ; two sent to Hexham,
125 ; Austin, sent to Hexham, 126, 202 ; power of
prior over, 128 ; rules of, 129.30, 156 ; lax behaviour
of, 136-7, 155-6; indigence of, 138, 143; resist
archbishop, 145-6; flight, 146 ; return, 147; treason
of, 15)-;; arm to defend priory, 160-2; order to
hang, 162 ; fate of, 163 ; neglect St. .Mary's, 202.
Canterbury, archbishops of, Brihtwald, in ; Lanfranc,
22, 118 ; Theodore, 107-11.
— see of York submitted to, 1 1 1-2.
Carelton, ■■\ndrew, master of grammar school, 124.
Carie, Sir Robert, mentioned, 95.
Carlisle, Edward HI. intends to go to, 39 n ; llexham
prisoners sent to, 46 ; insecurity near, 47 ; Alberic
visits, 134; priory houses in, 142, 150; waste near,
116; Ritschell's bequest to, 171 n; passage to
undercroft, 190; attempt to relieve, 257 ; communi-
cation with, 267.
— bishop of, letter to Wolsey, 47, 245 n ; sequestrates
property of priory, 145, 146 n ; excuses Prior Ken-
dal, 150 n.
— bishopric of, priory tithes in, 160.
Carmelites at York, 302.
Carnaby, Agnes, 100, 102.
— Catherine, annuity to, 62.
— Christopher, tenant, 95.
— Cuthbert, executor, 55, 79, 81-3.
— David, reeve and collector, 66, 70, 79.
— Dorothy, wife of Sir Reynold, 35 ; lands belonging
to, 69, 70, 82-3; resists earl of Northumberland,
247-9.
— Gilbert, tenant, 94.
— John (160S), 102.
— John (1689), annuity to, 62.
— Katherine, daughter of Sir Reynold, 55, 296;
marriage, 296.
— Lady, 101.
— Mabel, daughter of Sir Reynold, 55, 296; marriage,
57-
— Nicholas, freeholder, 87.
— Obadiah, annuity to, 62.
— Odinel, freeholder, 81.
— Sir Reynold, appointed bailiff, 49-51, 65, 181, 229;
grantee of priory, 52; possessions of, 79, 82-3, 310;
farms tithes, 159; exonerates canons, 163; action
at dissolution, 164 ; payment to curate, 165 ; builds
abbey house, 247, 296 ; referred to, 55.
— Richard, leases coal mine, 83.
— Thomas (1536), persuaded to leave Halton, 51.
— Thomas (1547), tenant, 79.
— Thomas (160S), lands of, 87, 95, loo-i, 104.
— Ursula, daughter of Sir Reynold, 55, 296.
— William (1423), bailiff, 65.
— William (1536), of Halton, warned of disaffection,
50; flees to Chipchase, 51 ; returns to Halton, 52;
Heron's enmity to, 161-2.
— William (1547), freeholder. Si.
INDEX.
323
Caniaby, Willhim (16S9), anmiity to, 62.
Carnaby lands, inheiitcj by Wiiliam Fcfnwick, 57.
Carr, Ann, M.I., 197.
— Benoni, bailiff, 65.
— George, papist, 61.
— James, M.I., 197,
— John (1644), rated, 254.
— John (16S5), steward uf manor, 221.
— John (1715), bailiff, 65 ; M.I., 197; gift to grammar
school, 219.
— John (1738), M.I., 197.
— John (1741), bailiff, 65.
— Mark William, M.I., ig-.
— Matthew (1761), rioter, slain, 260.
— Matthew, M.I., 199.
— (Pearson) Prudence, married, 512.
— Ralph, B.D., gift to grammar school, 218-9.
— Richard (1608), tenant, 93.
— Richard (1612), bailiff, 65; governor of grammar
school, 211.
— Richard (1630), bailiff, 65, 219 n ; buys Spital,
300, 311.
— Thomas, M.I., 197.
— William (1789), bailiff, 65.
— William, 197.
— of Hexham, family, 300-1.
Carrawborough, property of priory, 140, 150, 158.
Carre, John, papist, 61.
Carrick, Thomas, Presbyterian, 209 n.
Carro, Christopher, tenant, 96.
— George, tenant, 96.
Carrowke, William, tenant, 82.
Carswell, Robert, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Carter, Sarah, slain, 260.
Cartinge, Richard, tenant, 81.
Casseholme, priory property in, 153.
Catteden, Matthew de, pays subsidy, 34.
— William de, pays subsidy, 32.
Cattle fairs at Hexham, 268-9.
Catton grieveship, i, 11, 27, 58; Subsidy Roll, 33;
survey of 1547, 53, 85-6 ; rents in 1536, 55; survey
of 1608, 88-9; total rents, 103; priory lands at,
139, 150.
Catton lea, tenement, 86, 89.
Caus, Alisia de, gift to priory, 140-1.
— James de, gift to priory, 140-1.
Cavendish, Charles, married, 296.
Caward, Richard, tenant, 93.
— Thomas, scaleraker, 28 1.
— William, one of 24, 276.
Cawfields, Roman stone found at. 239.
Cawode, John de, a])pointed gaoler, 226.
Cawood, men from, 44.
Cecil, Mr. Secretary, letters to, 247-8, 250.
Cellarer, official of priory, 126, 129 ; rents appropriated
to, 149-53.
Census returns, Hexham, 236 n.
Chadwick, James, bishop, 206.
Chalice, ancient, found at Hexham, 175-6.
Challoner, Ann, sponsor, 174.
Chamberlain, official of priory, 126.
Chantrill, Catholic priest, 205 n, 257.
Chantries, Allendale Town, 57, SS; Edw. llerrison,
79,204; Lez Roode, 79,204; St. Martin, 57; St.
Mary, 79, 168 n, 204-5; Stannington, 152.
Chapel house, tenement, 89.
Chapterhouse, 188-9.
Chareheads, tenement, 98.
Charities, Hexham, 176-7; share of common, 258 n.
Charles I., grants manor to Sir John Fenwick, 59 ;
rebellion against, 252.
— n., grants market, 268.
Charlton, Cuthbert, a rebel, 246.
— Edward, a rebel, 52, 246.
— Edward (1725), clandestinely married, 175; riot
by, 256-7.
— Jerry, prisoner, released, 229.
— John (1608), tenant, loi.
— John (1761), rioter, slain, 260.
— John H., M.I., 199.
— Richard, amerced, 282.
— Thomas, allerkeeper, 277.
— William, ringleader of thieves, 47.
Charun, Wychardus de, sheriff, 37 n.
Chaumer, William, priory tenant, 149.
Cheeseburn, priory lands at, 141, 15S; free warren,
151 n, 152.
Cheste, James, tenant, 78.
Chester, county palatine of, classed with Hexhamshire,
41-
— Walton, bishop of, 303.
Chester, William, tenant, 90, 94.
Chester-le-Street, congregation of St. Cuthbert at, 21,
117.
— bishops at, 1 iS.
Chesterhope, priory lands at, 140, 150.
Chichester, More, priest of, 229.
Chicken, or Chcken (Wastell), Hannah, married, 312.
— Jane, scaleraker, 281.
— John (1547), reeve of Acomb, 68.
324
INDEX.
Chicken, John (1608), tenant, 92, loo-i.
— Jolin, amerced, 283.
— Richard, tenant, 68.
— Robert (1547), tenant, 58.
— Robert (160S), tenant, loi.
— Thomas, amerced, 2S2.
— William, tenant, 68.
Chillingham, Hudson, vicar of, 171.
Chipchase, Carnabys flee to, 50-1 ; fit for keeper of
Tynedale, 247 ; property of priory, 140, 151 ; tithes,
'59-
Choir of priory church, 184-6.
ChoUerford, 255.
Chollerton, priory properly at, 140, 151, 158 ; Durham,
bishops' right over, 142 ; tithes, 159, 167 ; lecture-
ship, 167.
— parish, joins regality, i ; rioters from, 260.
Sholverton.
Churchwardens, election of, 282.
— books, Ritschell copies, 170 ; begin, 173.
Cimiterio, John de, bailiff, 64.
Cistercian order, Biseth joins, 134; Webster, prior of,
163 n.
Clarke, Elizabeth, married, 173.
— Robert, lecturer, 172, 195 ; gives staff to church,
175 ; M.I., 197.
— Sloughter, lecturer, 172, 177 ; M.I., 197.
Clavering, Catholic priest, 205 n.
Clay, William del, prior, 137, 164.
Clerestory, priory church, 184-5, 187.
Clerk of manor, 58, 63, 102.
Cleugh, Margaret, tenant, 99.
Cleugh, meaning of, 18.
Cleveland, Yorks., priory property in, 153.
Clifton, priory lands at, 152.
Clints, John, amerced, 284,
Cliuth, John, tenant, 219 n.
Clogh, John, tenant, 66.
Clone, Roger de, master of Spital, 311.
Close, F., dean of Carlisle, 312.
Coaches to Hexham, 267.
Coalcleugh, elevation of, 2, 18; lead mine at, 11.
Coal-measures in shire, 3-4, 6.7 ; rent in Catton, 54 ;
mines granted to Forster, 59 ; tenant of, in 1608,
loi ; in Carrawborough, 150.
Coastley, freehold, 82, 91.
— lord of, payment to priory, 150.
Coatenhill, tenement, 73, 96.
Coates, Thomas, papist, 61.
Coatesforth, Hugh, tenant, 87.
Coatesforlh, John, tenant, 88.
— Thomas, tenant, 89.
Cohham's dragoons, 258.
Coceley, Roger de, pays subsidy, 33.
Cockershield, tenement, 77.
Cockfighting in Hexham, 216-7, 297.
Cocking, James, master of grammar school, 224.
— Robert, master of grammar school, 224.
Cocklaw, freehold, 82, 87.
Coeshole, tenement, 87.
Cokeman, William, tenant, 77.
Coldingham, Elheldrid retires to, 107.
Colefax, William, Independent minister, 208.
CoUan, first provost of shire, 22, 11 8-9.
— third provost, 22.
Collector of Newlands and Rowleyward, 58, 102.
Collingwood, Lord, 305.
— Robert, sent to dissolve priory, 160.
— Robert, master of grammar school, 224.
Colman, retires to lona, 105, 108.
Colwell, priory property at, 140, 149, 151 ; tithes, 159,
.67.
Commissioners, royal, visit Hexham, 50.
Common, division of, 177, 258; guilds claim share,
275 ; order against enclosure, 292.
— keeper, appointed, 278.
Comyn, Richard, gift to priory, 140.
Constables, appointed, 27; duties in shire, 27; fined
for neglect, 28; in borough, 276; duties, 277-8,
283-4, 286, 293.
Conway, Lord, letter of, 253.
Conyers, Sir Christopher, of Horden, 63.
— Lord, letter of, 253.
— William, bailiff, 65.
Cooke, Benjamin, accused of Jacobitism, 256.
— Jane, scaleraker, 28 1.
— John (1608), tenant, 93.
— John (1638), witness, 288.
— John (1661), one of 24, 276 ; fined, 278.
— John A., Catholic priest, 205 n.
— Joshua, papist, 257.
— Matthew, tenant, 80.
Cookeman, Richard, tenant, 78.
Cookshouse, tenement, 85, 89, 91.
Cooperhaugh, tenement, 86, 88.
Cooteland, 53, 68.
Copyholders in shire, 53; conditions of tenure, 55, 58,
104; difficulties of, 59; share of common, 258;
suffer by enclosures, 292 ; passim in surveys, q.ti.
Corbet, Walter, gift to priory, 140.
INDEX.
325
Corbridge, parish adjoins regality, i ; Stiihlirlv dylce
at, 3 ; proposed to rule wilb regality, 53 ; priory
property at, 140, 149 ; Bruce burns, 146 ; commis-
sioners retire to, 161 ; church transepts, 186 n ;
schoolmaster at, 211 ; Roman stones from, 232,
240; treasure at, 244 ; spared by David II., 244;
skirmish near, 253 ; Scots army at, 253-4 ; rioters
from, 260.
Corbridge, Thomas de, archbishop, 39.
Cordwainers, celebrations of, 295.
Coroner, duties of, 29 ; Nicholas de Swinburn, 37 n.
Corryhill, tenement, 98.
Cosin, John, bishop of Durham, 169.
Cospatric, Edgar, son of, 134.
— Waldeve, son of, 142.
Cottsall, Hugh, tenant, 72.
Coulson (jice Wastell), Ann L., married, 312.
— Jacob, rioter, slain, 260.
— John, accusation against, 172-3.
— -John (1692), charity of, 176, 219; quarry keeper,
289.
— Matthew, churchwarden, 195.
Courts. See manorial courts.
Cowden, priory lands at, 140, 151. Colden.
Cowper, Robert, steward of manor, 271.
Cowrer, Catherine, tenant, 85.
Cragg, Matthew (1608), tenant, 93.
— Matthew (1661), one of 24, 276.
Craggell, John, tenant, 93.
Craig, Thomas, charity of, 176 ; lost, 177.
Craine, Nicholas, tenant, 93.
Crake, Robert, forester, 79.
Cramere, Thomas, tenant, 78.
Crane, Thomas, tenant, 81.
Crashaw, Edward, steward, 65.
Crasswell, James, charity of, 1 76-7.
Crawe, William, tenant, 80.
Crawhall, William, agent for lead mines, 12.
Creswell, tithes, 167.
Croft, Sir James, 24S.
Cromwell, Fenwick's application to, 49 ; survey of
manor for, 54 ; letter to, 157.
Crosire, Catherine, scaleraker, 281.
— John, tenant, 92.
Crosley, John, forester, 78-9.
Crosses, ancient, 182-3; the Acca, 114, 181-2; Spital,
183, 311 ; sanctuary, 242 ; the market, 261.
Crosshouse, tenement, 85, 88.
Crowe, Patrick, bailiff, 65, 276.
— William, rioter, slain, 260.
Crypt, used as burial place, 172, 175 ; only remnant of
Wilfrid's church, 136; description of, 179-80.
Cumberland, Stublick dyke runs into, 3 ; Scots kings'
interest in, 134; priory estates in, 142, 150; in
diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, 205.
— duke of, 257.
Cumin, Richard, benefactor of piiory, 241.
Cunningham, Richard, scaleraker, 104.
— Thomas, tenant, 92.
Cuper, Richard, pays subsidy, 33.
Curates, Hexham, stipend of, 165-6; house of, 166;
list of, 169-71 ; share of common, 258 n.
— ■ assistant, appointed, 171.
Currey, Nicholas, rated, 254.
— William, amerced, 282.
Currier, Katherine, tenant, 74.
Cuthbert, St., pupil of Eata, 108 ; bishop of Lindis-
farne, 109 ; Eilaf's vision of, 124.
— congregation of, 21, 117.
Cutter, John, rioter, slain, 260.
Cynewulf, Bishop, banished, 114.
D.
Dacre, Sir Christopher, imprisons tenants, 46.
— Leonard, charged to govern Tynedale, 246 ; rebels,
251.
— Thomas, Lord, leases lead mines, 10 ; holds chief
offices in shire, 46, 52 ; government of, 46-9, 54,
22S ; bailiff, 65 ; tenant of Byres, 15S ; takes part
in dissolution, 162 ; house with arms of, 307.
Dalis, Richard de, pays subsidy, 33.
Dalkeith, Lilbume at, 207.
Dalton, tenement, 78 ; priory lands at, 141, 147, 152,
158.
Dalton, Ralph de, bailiff, 65.
— William de, gift to priory, 141.
Daltona, Roger de, pays subsidy, 33.
Danes, incursion in 995, 21, 118 ; destroy Acca's library,
113 ; invasion of 875, 116-7, 200-1, 243.
Darlington, spared by David II., 244.
David I., benefactor of priory, 133, 142 ; meets Alberic,
134; assizes of, 153 n ; meets Cardinal Paparone,
— II., invasion of, 244.
Davison, repairs bells, 173.
— (1718), assaulted, 203.
Dawson, Alexander, tenant, 67.
— Anthony, tenant, 88.
— Edward, tenant, 99.
— George, tenant, 87, 96.
326
INDEX.
Dawson, Gills, sponsor, 174.
— Hugh, tenant, 95.
— John (15+7), pays fine, 74.
— John (1608), tenant, S7.
— Matthew, tenant, 67, 73-4 ; heirs of, 72.
— Robert, Presbyterian minister, 209 n.
— Rowland, tenant, 67, 99.
— Thomas, amerced, 283.
— William (1547), tenant, 67.
— William, amerced, 2S2.
Days work, le five, 53, 77.
Deacon (Bacon), Isabel, married, 312.
Deanham (or Dunum), tithes, 159.
Dees, R. R., bailiff, 65.
Deira, diocese formed, 107.
Delaval, Hugh, gift to priory, 141.
— Riched, benefactor of priory, 133, 141.
— Robert, gift to priory, 141.
Delicate hall, i56.
Derling, Henry, pays subsidy, 31.
Derwentwater, earl of, involved in 1715, 60, 255.
Despenser, Hugh le, witness, 268 n.
Deutschkana, Ritschell, born at, 169.
Devilstone, Thomas de, tomb of, 192-3.
Dialect of shire, 17-9.
Dialogue between Two AlUndaU Miners^ 19.
Dickinson, Christopher (1661), amerced, 276, 286.
— Christopher (1745), papist, 257.
— Jane, detains money, 220 n.
— Joseph, engineer, 12.
— Martyn, one of 24, 276.
— Robert, amerced, 286.
Dickson, Archibald, priory tenant, 14S-9.
— Henry, surveyor, 27.
Dikenook, tenement, 98.
Dilston, royal commissioners at, 160 : Acca cross at,
1S2 ; oak lintel at, 236.
Dirtpot, tenement, 72, 96.
Dissington, prior insulted at, 134; service of lord of,
152.
Dissolution of monasteries, 156.
Dixon, B., M.I., 197.
— Bartholemew, tenant, 94.
— Edward, tenant, 94.
— Frank, allerkeeper, 277.
■ — Henry, charity of, 176.
— James, tenant, 90.
— Nicholas, aletaster, 277 ; fined, 279.
— William, tenant, 90.
Dobb, John, rioter, slain, 260.
Dobson, John, curate, 169.
— Thomas, master of grammar school, 225.
Dodd, Joseph, rioter, slain, 260.
— Thomas, rioter, slain, 260.
— prisoners named, rescued, 229.
Dodson, Peter, master of grammar school, 224.
Dominicans at Hexham, 205 ; Gibsons are, 302.
Doncaster, William de, bailiff, 64.
Doncaster, pardon issued from, 162.
Donyngton, Richard de, bailiff, 65.
Dormitory, the priory, 188-9.
Dotland, inherited by William Fenwick, 57 ; given to
priory, 130, 139 ; priory lands at, 149-50, 158.
— park, 82, 149, 158.
Douay seminary, 302,
Douglas, Elizabeth, M.I., 198.
— George, amerced, 282.
Downes, Fenwick, buys Spital, 311.
— Lydia, M.I., 197.
— Shafto, M.I., 197 ; buys SpilJil, 311.
Dreng of Hexham, vision of, 120.
Dridon, Robert, scaleraker, 281 ; amerced, 283.
Drought (Whitehead), Caroline, married, 313.
Drowey, Richard, rated, 254.
Drummond, Walter, payment to, 255.
Drurey, Hugh, allerkeeper, 277.
Dryburn, tenement, 27, 75, 98.
Dryside, tenement, 73, 97
Dudley, John, duke of Northumberland, 246.
Dun, Henry, rioter, slain, 260.
Dunwich, Tidfirth, bishop of, 115.
Durham, Scots march to, 137; Scots defeated near,
148; spared by David II., 244; royal forces reach,
250.
— bishops of, Richard de Bury, 39 n, 143 ; William de
St. Carilef, 121 ; John Cosin, 169; Ealdhun, 21, 22,
118; Edmund, 22; Ethelric, 22, 121; Ethelwine,
22, 121; Nicholas de Famham, 136, 141; Ralph
Flambard, 23, 130; Thomas de Hatfield, 154;
Cuthbert Tunstall, 131; title to Hexham confirmed,
22, 118, 121; origin of right to Hexham, 117;
lose regality, 122 ; agreement with York, 131-2, 135 ;
sequestrate property of priory, 145, 146 n ; confirm
grant, 135-40; right over priory churches, 142-3;
rent from \Varden church, 1 5 1 n.
— cathedral of, foundation, 21, 118; letters of protec-
tion from Edward IV., 45 ; Alured takes relics to,
119; reformation of, 121; Barker, canon of, 171;
Saxon stringcourse, 179 ; He.xham crosses at, 181-2;
Nine Altars chapel, 186 ; passage to undercroft, 190.
INDEX.
l''-!
Durham county, i hissed with llexhamshirc, 41 ; shire
included in, 64, 169 ; priory estates in, 142, 153, 158 ;
in diocese of Hexham and Newcastle, 205.
— school, 224.
— treasurer of, Eilaf Lareow, 121.
Dusyng, Richard, bailiff, 65.
Dyvelston, Thomas de, gift to priory, 140.
E.
Eachwick, priory lands at, 141, 147, 152, 158.
Eachwick, Thomas de, gift to priory, 141.
Eadbert, King, punishes Cynevvulf, 114.
Eadgar, son of Cospatric, 1 34.
Eadsbush, tenement, 78.
Ealdhun, Bishoji, appoints provost, 21, 22; flees to
Ripon, 1 18,
Eanbald, Archbishop, coins of, 24-5.
Eanberht, bishop of Hexham, 1 15-6.
— bishop of Lindisfarne, 21, 118.
Eanred, King, coins of, 243.
Eardulf, bishop of Lindisfarne, 11 7-8.
— King, hostile to Wilfrid, 1 12,
Early English architecture, the priory, 184-90; St.
Mary's, 203-4.
Eata, bishop of Bernicia, 107-S ; bishop of Hexham,
109-10, 116; translation of relics, 121, 125, 135;
referred to, 124 n.
Eaton, John, slain, 173.
Ecclesiastical commissionerF, 166.
Ecgfrid, king of Northumbria, 105, 107, no; at synod
of Twyford, 109.
Eden, Philip, intermediary in conveyance, 59.
Edinburgh, Cobham's dragoons at, 258.
— universitjf, 171, 304.
Edmund, Bishop, appoints provost, 22.
Edric, Canon, discovers relics, 125 n.
Edston, priory property, 13;, 154, 159.
Edward I. orders inquisitions, 36; issues writs quo
warranto, 38 ; appoints Sir John de Vaus bailiff,
39; invitation to vengeance, 13? " ! appoints com-
mission of inspeximus, 139; wars against Scots,
143; effect of death, 146; grant to priory, 151 n;
gifts to priory under, 140.
— II., canons petition, 146 ; gifts to priory under, 147,
152 n ; grants fairs, 267-S.
— HI. enquires about subsidies, 25 ; appoints justices,
30 ; grants shire to Balliol, 39 ; enlists grithmen,
39 ; enacts Statutes of Labourers, 42 n ; strong
rule of, 147 ; Scots invasion under, 143 ; grants to
priory, 152 n ; proposed conference, 244.
Edward IV. calls out clergy, 45, 155 ; protects Durham,
45 ; supports charges of Borders, 48.
— VI. founds schools, 211.
Edwards, Ambrose, cockfighting match, 297 n.
Edwardyne, William, priory tenant, 159.
Eilaf Lareow, priest, 119, 121-2, 125, 202-3, ^43.
307.
— junior, priest, 119, 122-5, '3--3i ^°^i 3°7-
— Tod, bearer of St. Cuthbert, 119
Elder, William, rioter, 259.
Elfwald, King, murdered, 115 ; tomb of, 192.
Elizabeth, Queen, suit against Matthew Bee, 10; grants
manor to Forster, 57 ; grants tithes to Hatton, 57,
165; founds schools, 211; desires surrender ol
Abbey, 247.
EUenson, Thomas, tenant, 80.
— William, tenant. So, 82.
EUershope, tenement, 72, 96.
Ellington, tithes of, 167.
Elliott, John (1661), constable, fined, 278.
— John (1751), rioter, slain, 260.
Ellis, Richard (1745), papist, 257.
— Richard, steward, 56.
Ellison, John, papist, 61.
— Richard, tenant, 92.
— Thomas, priory tenant, 149.
Ellrington, Robert, tenant, 92.
ElKvood, Robert, tenant, 92.
— Thomas, rated, 254.
Elmham, John de, bailiff, 64.
Elrington, priory mill at, 141, 150.
Elwalds, raid Old Town, 4S.
Elya de — , bailiff, 6;.
English, John, Presbyterian, 209 n.
— Thomas, rioter, slain, 260.
Eringtona, Anthony de, pays subsidy, 33.
— Robert de, pays subsidy, 34.
— Thomas de, pays subsidy, 33.
Erlington, John, tenant, 93.
— William de, homicide by, 25 n.
Ermenburg, Queen, dislikes Wilfrid, 107.
Erneshou, hermitage at, 1 10.
Ernie, Sir Michael, inspects Hexham, 231, 252, 265.
Errington, in shire, i ; Subsidy Roll, 32 ; survey of
1547, 53, 66-7 ; burning of, 54 ; rents in 1536, 5; ;
freehold, 82 ; tenants of, 102 ; rents in, 103 ;
tithes, 159 167
Errington, Anthony, a rebel, 52.
— .Anthony (1547), tenant. Si.
— Arthur, rescues jewels, 51,
328
INDEX.
Errington, Caroline («« Waddilove), M.I., 199.
— Edmund, tenant, 67.
— Edward (1547), tenant, 67.
— Edward (i 608), tenant, 90, 99.
— George, inscription to, 186 n.
— Gilbert (15+7), tenant, 66, 70, 80-1, 83.
— Gilbert (1608), freeholder, 87, 100-:.
— Gilbert, breaks sabbath, 175.
— Jane, tenant, 91.
— John, suit against John Fenwick, 10.
— John (1546), tenant, 81.
— John (1608), lands of, 87, 93, 102.
— John (1672), constable, 27.
— John (i745). pap'st, 257.
— John (1777), contracts for bridge, 265-6.
— (Carr) Margaret, married, 301.
— Martin, aletaster, 277.
— Nicholas, tenant, 79, 81-2.
— Ralph, gaoler, 84.
— Ralph (1608), tenant, 94, loo, 102.
— Robert, freeholder, 81.
— Thomas, treason of, 61.
— Thomas, slays William Charlton, 47 n.
— Thomas (1547), freeholder, 82.
— Thomas (i6o8~), lands of, 100, 102.
— William, bailiff, 65.
— William, of Sandhoe, papist, 61.
, uniform of, 173.
Eryngton, Hugh de, coroner, dismissed, 30.
Eshells, tenement, 78, 91, 94.
Ethelberht, bishop of Hexham, 11 5-6.
Etheldrid, Queen, gifts to Wilfred, 20, 105; retires to
Coldingham, 107.
Etheleye, William, tenant, 70.
Ethelrid, king of Mercia, iii.
— king of Northumbria, 243.
Ethelric, Bishop, appoints provost, 22, 121.
Ethelwine, Bishop, flees to Lindisfarne, 22, 121.
Eugene, Prince, victory at Luzara, ig6.
Eure, Sir William, opinion of gentry, 47.
Excommunication, archbishops' right of, 25 n ; Green-
field uses, 34, 145.
Exeter, bishop of, witness, 268 n.
F.
Fairlamb, Farllam, Ann, shot, 174.
— John (1661), <jne of 24, 276.
— John (1745), papist, 257.
— Matthew, constable, 254.
— Matthew (1761), rioter, slain, 260.
Fairlamb, Simon, tenant, 82.
Fairless, Joseph, antiquary, 305.
— Robert, constable, 27.
— Thomas Kerr, painter, 305.
Fairley, S., Independent minister, 208.
Fairs, king's right of granting, 26 ; tolls belong to lord,
54; bailiff's expenses at, 84; tolls farmed, 83, 94;
dates fixed, 267-9.
Falaker, John, tenant, 71.
Fallofilde, John, tenant, 81.
Fallowfield, in shire, t ; geological section at, 6 ; lead
mining, 10 ; Subsidy Roll, 32 ; coal mining, 83 ;
freehold, 87 ; Spital rent from, 309-10.
Farbridge, Anthony, charity of, 176.
— George, Presbyterian, beaten, 209 n.
— Robert, charity of, 176.
Fame, St. Cuthbert's fondness for, 109.
Farneyshield, tenement, 76, 9S.
Farneyside, tenement, 75, 98.
Farnham, Nicholas de, bishop, dispute with priory
136 ; gift to priory, 141.
Farquharson, George, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Farynden hall, priory land, i 59.
Faudon, Peter de, gift of, 141.
Favour, William, Methodist, 209 n.
Featherstanhaugh, priory lands at, 151.
Featherston, John (1608), tenant, 96.
— John (1638), witness, 288.
Featherstonhalgh (Wastell), Eleanor, married, 312.
— Margaret, M.I., 197.
— Mar}-, inherits Spital, 311.
— Michael, tenant, 72-4.
— Mr., buys ancient chalice, 176.
Fees, the parson's, 173-4 ! f"'' "ngitig bells, 196.
Fell, Elizabeth, M.I., 198. '
— Joseph, assistant lecturer, 172 ; M.I., 197.
— Mary, M.I., 197.
— Sarah, M.I., 197.
Felton, William de, guardian of temporalities, 39.
Fencotes, Thomas de, justice, 30.
Fenton, William de, master of Spital, 311.
Fenwick, Catherine inee Mitford), married, 29S.
— Colonel, 174; helmet of, 236; garrisons Hexham,
252 ; entertains Major Agnew, 253 ; resides at
abbey, 255.
— Edward, M.I., 198.
— Grace {tiee Forster), heiress of manor, 57.
— Henry, family of, M.I., 198.
— Isabel («« Carnab)'), tenant, 100, 102.
— John de, priory tenant, 152.
INDEX.
329
Fenwick, Sir John, petitioned against, 10 ; steward of
manor, 58,65, 104 ; acts as bailiff, 59 ; manor granted
to, 59 ; lands of, 94-5 , succeeds to Hexham property,
57, 265 ; sells tithes, 167 ; confirms guilds, 271.
— Sir John (d. 1689), sells manor, 62-3, 221, 222 ;
petition to, 294.
— John (d. 1682), IVI.I., 198.
— Katharine, annuity to, 62.
— • Dame Mary (1679), charity of, 219, 222-3.
— Lady Mary (16S9), annuity to, 62.
— Matthew, tenant, 100.
— Ralph, appointed bailiff, 49, 65.
— Robert, rated, 254.
— Thomas de, prior, 165 ; gift to priory, 141 ; resigns,
'45-
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 93.
— Thomas (d. 1633), M.I., ig8.
— Thomas (1644), rated, 254 ; fined, 279, 293.
— William, manor devised to, 57 ; petitions for
market, 268.
— clan, raid of, 245.
Ferdinand II., Emperor, persecutes, if>9, 198.
Ferghan, Robert de, master of Spital, 311.
Ferlington, Henry de, gift to priory, 141.
Fernie, David, Baptist minister, 207-8.
Ferrer, Thomas, prior, 165.
Ferry at Hexham, 262 ; granted to Sir John Fenwick,
59 ; let out, 83 ; Eastboat, 100 ; at Warden, 151 ;
account of, 262-5.
Fetherstanhalgh, Thomas de, bailiff, 65 ; to collect
ferm, 24 n ; to distrain, 29 n.
Fewster, Nicholas, rioter, slain, 260.
Finney hill, tenement, 8S.
Fires at Hexham, 255 ; regulations against, 2S5.
Fishborn, Richard, legacy of, 166.
Fisher, George, tenant, 85.
Fisheries, Newburn, 141, 152, 158; Ovingham, 151 ;
Salton, 154.
Fitz Duncan, William, leader of Scots, 133.
Fitzhugh, Sir Edmund, beheaded, 245.
— Henry, his troops, 39 n.
Fitzwilliam, Isabella, gift to priory, 141.
— Walter, gift to priory, 141.
Flambard, Bishop, quarrel with Henry I., 23, 130.
Flavinus, monument to, 23S-9.
Flaxton, priory property, 154.
Fleming, James, bookseller, 224.
— William, curate, 171, 195.
Fletcher, J., Catholic priest, 205 n.
Folketon, Roger de, to inspect chapels, 202.
Vol. III.
Football, not to play on Sunday, 283.
Forbes, John, charity of, 177.
Foreigners, treatment of, 11, 2S7-9.
Forest grieveship, petition from, 11 ; in shire, 26.
Forester, Adam, pays subsidy, 34.
Forester, ofificial of manor, 30 ; murderers of, excom-
municated, 25 n ; salary of, 58, 102.
— in Newlands and Rowley ward, 54, 59.
— in East Allendale, 72, 84.
Forests, archbishop's rights in, 24.
— Allendale, 37, 59, 74, 95-7.
— Newlands and Rowley, 78-9.
— Westwood, 84.
Forno, benefactor of priory, 133.
Forster, Edward, papist, 61.
— Sir John, acquires manor, 57, 296 ; suppresses
rebellion of 1569, 250-1.
— Sir John (1608), property of, 94.
— John, papist, 61.
— (Bacon) Margaret, married, 312.
— Mary {nee Wastell), married, 312.
— Robert, charity of, 176.
— Thomas, share in the 1715, 255-6.
— ■ Thomas (1761), rioter, slain, 260.
(163S), master of grammar school, 220, 223.
(1699), a candidate, 170.
Foster, Matthew, tenant, 94.
— Rinyon, tenant, 94.
Fountains abbey. Nine Altars at, 186.
Four-and-twenty assess poor rate, 1 1 ; to repair church,
173 ; vote money for school, 220 ; duties of, 276-7,
Fourstones, tithes of, 159.
Fox, George, visits Hexham, 208.
— Thomas, to build gaol, 225, 226 n ; to build boat,
264.
Francis, John, tenant, 89.
Frankham, priory lands at, 150 ; Flagan Clough.
Franklin, Benjamin, 304
— John, mentioned, 177,
Franklyn, William, letter to Wolsey, 49.
Frater, the priory, 189-90.
Frawler or Faraller, Henry (1547), tenant, 73-4.
— Henry (160S), tenant, 96.
— John (1547), tenant, 75.
— John (1608), tenant, 89.
— Matthew, tenant, 98.
— William, tenant, 97.
Free companies at Hexham, 270-5, 289-91, 295.
Freeholders in manor, 53, 58, 60, 8i-a, 87, 103.
French, John, tenant, 88, 90.
42
330
INDEX.
Frensholme, priory property, 15-1.
Frithberht, bishop of Hexham, 114, 116; translation of
relics, 135.
Frith-stol, described, 181,
Frost hall, tenement, 71, S9.
Fuller, historian, entertains Walton, 303.
Furca, term explained, 24 n.
Gairshield, tenement, 76, 98 ; Karsheele.
Gamel, Nicholas, son of, pays subsidy, 31.
— Robert, son of, pays subsidy, 32.
— priests of Hexham, 119, 201.
Gaol, Dacre imprisons in, 46 ; full of prisoners, 49 ;
account of, 225-35 ; inspected in 1640, 252.
Gaoler, official of manor, 30, 58 ; salary of, 84, 102 ;
appointed, 226.
Gappe, Adam del, pays subsidy, 3 1
Garrets hill, tenement, 73. 95.
Garrigill, priory land at, i;o.
Gas, Hexham lighted with, 262.
Gascoigne, William, Catholic priest, 205 n.
Gateway, the priory, 194.
Gentry, connive at thieves, 47.
Geology of Hexhamshire, 2-S.
Gerard, archbishop of York, 125.
Germund, gift to priory, 1 39.
Gibraltar, capture of, celebrated, 196.
Gibson, Benoni, surveyor, 277 ; fined, 284.
— Edmund, tenant, 80.
— Edward (1599), governor of grammar school, 211.
— Edward (1608), tenant, 94
— Elizabeth (1608), tenant, 94.
— Elizabeth (1712), charity of, 177.
— George, tenant, 219 n.
— George, charity of, 1 77.
— George (d. 1778), Catholic priest, 205 n.
— Jasper (1718), riot by, 257.
— Jasper, bailiff, 65.
— James, buys Spital, 311.
— John, forester, 54, 84.
— John (1547), tenant, 83.
— John (i5o8), tenant, 99.
— John (1665), appointed searcher, 285.
— John, curate, 171.
— John, Presbyterian, 209 n.
— Joseph, papist, 61.
— iWargaret, tenant, 93.
— Matthew, tenant, 93.
— Reynarde, tenant, 91.
Gibson, Richard (1547), tenant, 80.
— Richard (1608), tenant, 92.
— Richard (1661), one of 24, 276.
— Richard (1693), quarry keeper, 289,
— Richard, payment to, 173.
— Richard, steward, 66.
— Robert, tenant, 80.
— Thomas (1547), tenant, 78, 80.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 92-3.
— Thomas (1638), witness, 288.
— Thomas (1644), rated, 254; one of 24, 276,
— Thomas (1673), governor of grammar school, 212 n.
— Thomas (1686), charity of, 176 ; lost, 177.
— William, rated, 254.
■ — of Stonecroft and Hexham, family, 302.
Giffard, Walter, archbishop, Saxlon bailiff under,
36 n ; annuls election of prior, 127 n, 136 ; gifts to
priory, 139, 142.
Gill, Henry, legacy to, 209 n.
— Humphrey, 209 n.
— John, property of, 209 n.
— Joseph, Presbyterian minister, 209.
— Samuel, buried, 209 n.
Girecoats, tenement, 75, 98.
Girlington, Catholic priest, 205 n.
Givendale, given to priory, 142.
Gladow, Johanna, priory tenant, 149.
— William, priory tenant, 149.
Glasgow university, 171.
Glendue, tenement, 90.
Glevedale-in-le-Hole, priory property, 1 54.
Gloucester, Nostell priory at, 144-5, i57-
Glove making industry, 269 ; protected, 290.
Gonewarton, William de, pays subsidy, 32.
Goodger, Catholic priest, 205 n.
Gordon, Joseph, Presbyterian minister, 210; M.I.,
199.
Goss, John, legacy to, 171 n.
Gower, Thomas, Baptist minister, 207.
Graham, Henry de, gift to priory, 141.
— (Mitford) Jane, married, 298.
— Thomas, M.I., 199.
— William, curate, 171, 195, 298; share of common,
258 n.
Grain, sold in market, 267 ; regulations about, 291.
Gray, James, papist, 257.
— Lionel, sent to dissolve priory, 160.
— Thomas, papist, 257.
— Walter, archbishop, leases lead mine, 9 ; gifts to
priory, 139, 142.
INDEX.
331
Gray, William, papist, 61.
Graystock, Sir William de, steward, 65,
— master of college, 47.
Green, John, priory tenant, 148.
— Thomas, deposition of, 203.
— William, sent to dissolve priory, 160.
Greencroft, priory properly in, 153.
Greenfield, Archbishop, asserts rights over shire, 20;
grants hunting license, 24 ; excommunicates Scots,
34; appoints bailiff, 39; rules of, 130 n; dispute
with priory, 143-6 ; care for canons, 146; complains
about chapels, 202 ; order to build bridge, 263-4.
Green Healey, priory property at, 153.
Greenley cleugh, tenement, 75, 98.
Greenock, David, slain, 260.
Greenridge, survey of 1547, 53, 70 ; burnt by Scots, 54 ;
rents in 1536, 55 ; tenement, 90-1, 94.
Greenwell (Pearson), Mary, married, 313.
Greenwich hospital, naval school, 225 ; share of com-
mon, 258 n ; captain at, 305.
Gregory the Great, choral school, 1 1 3.
— VII., Pope, confirms title of Durham to shire, 22,
118; struggle for reform, 119, 121.
Grendon, priory land at, 150.
Grenemo, Philip de, pays subsidy, 31,
Grewslacke, lead mine at, 10.
Grieveship, territorial subdivision, ii, 26, 27.
Grindstone sill, 7.
Grithmen pardoned, 39.
Grottington, tiles made at, S ; given to priory, 1 30,
139 ; priory property, 149, 15S.
Guardian of spiritualities, 30.
Gud, William, cattle stolen, 38.
Guilds, He.\ham, 270-5, 289-91 ; decline of, 295.
Guisbert, prior, witness, 131 n.
Guisborough, Brus, cenotaph, 193 n.
Gunewarton, Radulf de, gift to priory, 140-1.
Gunnerton, tithes of, 57, 159; priory property at,
140, 151, 158 ; Gonewarton.
Guthred, gives land to church, 21, 117.
H.
Hackford, tenement, 91.
Haddon, John, tenant, 88.
Hag, the, tenement, 95.
Haggatt, Bartholomew, surveyor, 86, 231.
Halfdene, invasion of, 117, 243.
Hall Orchard, rent in 1536, 55; granted to Fenwick,
59 ; in 1547, 83 ; tenant in 160S, 94.
Hallington, in shire, i ; survey of 1547, 53, 69 ; rent
in 1536, 55 ; tenant in 1608, 102 ; priory land
a'l '39i '5° I Haliden, Hallendon.
Halsall, Catholic priest, 205 n.
Halton, Heron's intrigues at, 50-1 ; land in, 86.
Haltwhistle Spital, Pearsons at, 311, 313.
Hamburn, tenement, 77-S ; priory properly, 139.
Harbord, Charles, party in conveyance, 59.
Harby, William, papist, 61.
Hardwick, esquire, ])apist, 257.
Harlow, priory property at, 152 n.
— bank, tenement, 71, 89.
Harrison, Agnes, tenant, 98.
— Percival, wife of, tenant, 68.
— Richard, tenant, 93.
, repairs windows, 173.
Harsley, tenement, 76, 98.
Hart, Ensign, slain, 259.
— W. and H., wool manufacturers, 270.
Hartburn, rioter from, 260.
Hartlepool, priory property at, 153.
Hartley cleugh, tenement, 76, 98.
Harum, Robert de, to build bridge, 263.
Harwood, Lawrence, tenant, 72.
Harwood shield, tenement, 78, 90, 94.
Haswell, master of grammar school, 224.
Hat making, 270.
Hatfield, Thomas de, bishop of Durham, 1 54.
Hatters' company, 270,
Halton, Sir Christopher, grant to, 57, 165.
Haughton castle, 247, 249.
Haukesgarth, William de, steward, 65.
Haulton, Sir John de, bailiff, 65.
Hawdon, Christopher, tenant, 86.
— Culhbert (1547), tenant, 72, 74, 86.
— Cuthbert (1608), tenant, 88-9, 95-7, 103.
— George, tenant, 72-4.
— Henry, tenant, 76, 85.
— (Pearson) Jane, married, 313.
— John,itenant, 88.
— Thomas, tenant, 86.
Hawksteel, tenement, 27, 71, 90.
Hawkuplee, tenement, 75.
Hawkwell, pays tithes, 136, 141, 152.
Hayden, Cuthbert, a surety, 173.
— Michael, constable, 277.
Haydon Bridge, priory property at, 139-40, 151 ; tithes,
1 59 ; rioters from, 260 ; market cross removed to,
261.
Hayleazes, leneraenl, 90.
332
INDEX.
Hayrake, tenement, 72-3, 95-6.
Heardred, bishop of Hexham, 11 5-6.
Heart, Joseph, slain, 260.
Hearty cleugh, lead working at, 12.
Heathrington, George, tenant, 95.
Heckley manor, college property, 172.
Hedley, Anthony, curate, 171.
— Thomas, amerced, 283.
lleigh, tenement, 78.
Helias, John, son of, gift, 141.
Helmesley, Richard, tenant, 68.
Hempsley, John (1608), tenant, 101.
— John, amerced, 282.
Henderson, Alexander, Presbyterian minister, 210.
— (Wastell) Ann, married, 312.
— George (1608), tenant, 93.
— George (1643), amerced, 288.
Hendley, Walter, 85.
Henry I. grants shire to York, 23, 31, 130; referred
to, 133.
— ni., shire badly governed, 36 ; gifts to priory under,
135, 1 40- 1 ; grants fairs, 267.
— IV. pardons treason, 154-5.
— VI. supports charges of Borders, 48.
— VII., letter to Rotheram, 41 ; rental of shire under,
43 ; supports charges of Borders, 48. •
— VIII. becomes lord of manor, 53, 86, 104; orders
survey, 54; confirms priory, 161 ; dealings with
rebellion, 162 ; founds schools, :i 1.
— prince of Scotland, gift to priory, j 33.
Henzell, Thomas, legacy to, 172.
Hepple, William, rioter, slain, 260.
Hepscotes, William de, justice, 42 n.
Herd, duties of, 279-So,
Herdisley, Alexander de, pays subsidy, 32.
— Hugh de, pays subsidy, 32.
Hereford, earl of, witness, 268 n.
Hermitage, tenement, 95, ici, 104.
Heron, Elsa, rated, 254.
— George, son of John, of Chipchase, 51.
— John (1536), of Chipchase, intrigues of, 50-1, 161-3 ;
resorts to Prudhoe, 52 ; farms tithes, 159.
— John (151.7), tenant, 70.
— John (160S), tenant, 93 ; governor of grammar
school, 219 n.
— John (1661), one of 24, 276.
— Ralph, bailiff, 65.
— William (1574), bailiff and steward, 65.
— William (1608), tenant, 92.
— William (1724), office against, 175.
Herrison, Edward, chantry of, 79.
— James, tenant, 80.
Heseldean, freehold, 82, 102.
Hesleywell, tenement, 27, 76-7, 98.
Heslop, Clement, tenant, 88.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 88.
— George, tenant, 87-8, 92, loi.
— ■ John (1547), tenant, ?2.
— John (1608), tenant, 87, 89.
— Thomas, priory tenant, 149.
— William, governor of grammar school, 219 n.
— William (1644), rated, 254.
rioter, slain, 260.
Hetherslaw, priory lands at, 140, 150 ; Hetheneshalgh,
Hennishalgh.
Hetona, Philip de, pays subsidy, 34.
— William de, pays subsidy, 3 1 .
Heugh, priory lands at, 152.
Hewatson, Mary Qiee Stevenson), 304.
— Thomas, tenant, S8-9.
— William, account of, 303-4.
Hewerlawe, William de, pays subsidy, 33.
Hexham, origin of name, 240-1 ; Spital rents from,
309-10 ; He.xtildesham, Hagulstadt.
— battle of, 45, 155, 245.
— • bishopric, division of, 21 ; formed, 108.
— bishops of, Acca, 11 2-4; Alchmund, 110 n, 114;
Eanberht, 115; Eata, 107-10; Ethelberht, 115;
Fritheberht, 114; Heardred, 115; John of Beverley,
1 10-2 ; Tidfirth, 115; Tilberht, 115; Trumbriht,
108-9 > Wilfrid, 112 ; list of, 116 ; Roman Catholic,
205-6.
— borough, refuses fine for murder, 25 n ; division of
shire, 26, 53, 5S, 86 ; Subsidy RoU, 31 ; thieves in,
47 ; survey of 1536, 55 ; outlaws proclaimed, 60 ;
survey of 1547, 79-81 ; property of priory in, 82-3,
130, 139, 148-9, 154, 158 ; survey of 1608, 90-5, 103 ;
Bruce burns, 146 ; census returns, 236 n ; pre-
historic remains, 237 ; Roman occupation, 237-40 ;
origin of name, 240-1 ; Saxon times, 241-3 ; William
I. at, 243 ; devastated, 244 ; proposed conference at,
244-5 ! ''^i'i upon, 245 ; centre of Tynedale, 246 ;
Abbey house dispute, 247-9; rebellion of 1569,
249-51 ; inspected by Lloyd and Ernie, 252 ; great
rebellion, 253-4 ; visited by Norwich soldiers, 254-5 ;
fires at, 255 ; rebellions of 1715 and 1745, 255-8 ;
division of common, 258 ; riot, 258-61 ; Miss Mit-
ford at, 261 ; modern improvements, 262 ; bridges
and ferry, 262-6 ; railways, 267 ; fairs, 267-9 i
guilds, 269-75 ; borough jury, 275-6 ; the 24, 276-7 ;
INDEX.
333
chief officials, Z77-9 ; minor officers, 279-81 ; fines,
2SZ-4 ; sanitary regulations, 2S4-6 ; foreigners, 287 ;
trade regulations, 28S-92 ; abuses, 292 ; sports, 293 ;
rights of lord, 293-4 ; petition of tradesmen, 294 ;
decline of trade, 295 ; personal history, 295-305 ;
streets and houses, 305-S.
Hexham, chapels of St. Mary and St. Peter, 200-4.
— gaol. See gaol.
— Moot hall. See Moot h.all.
— non-established churches, Roman Catholics, 205-6 ;
Baptists, 206-8 ; (Quakers, 20S ; Independents, 208 ;
Methodists, 20S-9 ; Presbyterians, 209-10.
— parish, agricutural returns, 13, 16.
— priors of, Asketill, 126, 132-3 ; Bernard, 136 ; Robert
Biseth, 127 n, 132, 134, 145 ; Gilbert de Borough-
bridge, 145-6 ; William Bywell, 127 n ; William
del Clay, 137 ; Thomas de Fenwick, 141, 145 ;
Edward Jay, 156, 163 n ; John, 135 ; John of Hex-
ham, 127 n, 154-5 ; William de Kendal, 150 n ; John
of Lasenby, 136 ; Rowland Leschman, 193 ; Alex,
de Marton, 155 ; Henry deMerdene, 136-7 ; Richard,
1 3 1-2, 134-5; Thomas Smithson, 194; Robert de
Whelpington, 144-6; William, 135; William de
Woodhorne, 155 ; list of, 164-5 ; lands of, in shire,
55, 69, 70, 82-3 ; election of, 127, 131 ; powers of,
128, 131 ; service of lord of Dissington to, 152;
property appropriated to, 159 ; receive palfrey on
election, 154.
— priory and church, attempt to dissolve, 50 ; dissolved,
52 ; granted to Carnaby, 52 ; property united to
manor, 59 ; rewards Lelom with pension, 65 ;
foundation, 105 ; Wilfrid's church, 105-6 ; Wilfrid
banished, 107-8; Eata, Bishop, 108-10; John of
Beverley, iio-z ; Wilfrid, restored, 112; Acca,
112-4; remaining bishops, 114-6; destroyed by
Danes, 11 6-7 ; connection with Lindisfarne, 117-9 ;
the priests, 119-25 ; canons sent, 125 ; officers of
priory, 126-8; rules of foundation, 127-30; privi-
leges, 130 ; claims of Durham, 131 ; Scots invasion,
133-4; prosperity, 134-6 ; relaxed discipline, 136-7 ;
Wallace's invasion, 137-8; inspeximus, 139-42;
dispute with archbishop, 143-6 ; invasion of Bruce,
146 ; distress, 146-8 ; the Black Book, 148-54 ; other
property, 154 ; treason, 154-5 ; visitations, 155-6 ;
survey of 1536, 157-60; resist dissolution, 160-2 ;
Norfolk dissolves, 162-3 ! buildings destroyed,
163-4; ''^' °f priors, 164-5; state at dissolution,
165 ; endowments, 165-6 ; lectureship, 166-7 ; re-
storations, 167-9 ! curates, 169-71 ; lecturers, 172 ;
miscellanea, 172-5 ; plate, 175-6 ; charities, 176-7 ;
architecture, 177-92; Wilfrid's church, 177-81 ;
Saxon stones, 181-3 ; P'''0''yi 183-91 ; monuments,
192-3; furniture, 194; bells, 194-7; inscriptions,
197-200 ; the parish church, 203 ; condition in i8c6,
261.
Hexham, Queen Elizabeth's grammar school, governors,
177 ; founded, 21 1 ; charter of, 211-3 ; rules of, 213-6;
course of instruction, 214-6 ; holidays, 216 ; sports,
216-7 i revenues, Z17-20, 223 ; school house, 220-1 ;
alteration of rules, 221-2; masters, 223-5 ; share of
common, 258 n ; Hewson at, 303.
— regality, natural features, 1-2; geology, 2-8; lead
mines, 9-13; agriculture. 13-7; dialect, 17-9;
history of, 20-104; founded, zo ; provosts, 22;
early owners, 22, 130; archbishops' rights in, 23,
38; king's power in, 25, 39 ; divisions, 26 ; officials,
27-30; Subsidy Roll, 31-4; value of, 34, 43; Scots
invade, 34 ; misgoverned, 36 ; archbishops' rights
examined, 38, 40 ; granted to Balliol, 39 ; privileges
abridged, 40-1 ; desolated, 42-3; raid on Borough-
bridge, 44 ; Wars of the Roses, 45 ; Dacre's govern-
ment, 46-9; rebellion of 1535, 50-3; survey of
1547, 53-4, 66-86; survey of 1536, 54-5; part of
J^orthumberland, 56 ; devolution of estate, 57 59,
62-3 ; survey of 1608, 57-9, 86-104 ; the '15 and '45,
60-1 ; powers of courts, 63-4 ; in Newcastle diocese,
64 ; bailiffs, 64-6 ; priory lands in, sequestrated,
145 ; priory rights in, 150 ; executions in, 251.
Hexham, John of, prior, 165 ; deprived, 127 n, 154-5.
— William de, canon, 13S n.
Hextilda, wife of Richard Cumin, 241.
Heyden, George, tenant, 73.
Heydon, Sir John, party in conveyance, 59.
Hickhorngill, Edward, 207.
Hidwine, John, tenant, 78.
Higginsbotham, Peter, papist, 257.
Hildebrand. J^i; Gregory VII.
Hill, Thomas, appointed wait, 279.
— William, payment to, 173.
Hill house, tenement, 89, 90, 94.
Hille, William del, pays subsidy, 33.
Hindemers, John, tenant, 72.
Hindley, tenements, 71, S9.
Hinds' wages, 15, 258.
Hinsty, Robert de, pays subsidy, 34.
Hirings, 269, dates fixed, 291-2.
Hirst, Edward, freeholder, 87, 92.
— John, tenant, 93.
Hirst, tithes of, 167.
Hobart town school, 225.
334
INDEX.
Hobbs, John, duke of Newcastle, 296.
Hobkirke, Archibald, rated, 254.
— Arthur, rated, 254.
Hobson, Major, ill-used, 207.
— W. H., Independent minister, 208.
Hodgson, John S., engineer, 262.
Hogarth, William, bishop, 206,
Hoggart, Henry, rioter slain, 260.
Hole house, tenement, 77, 86, 88, 94.
Holgate, Robert, archbishop, 53, 58, 66.
Holland, Thomas, tenant, 82.
Hollin close, tenement, 73, 95.
HoUin green, tenemant, 71, 90.
HoUingley, George, tenant, 68.
Holm, prebend of, 125, 130.
Holmcultram, abbot of, 263.
Holme, lands at, bought, 135.
Holms, tenement, S9-90, 95.
Holystone, monastery, revenue of, 1 57.
Honirer, Robert, pays subsidy, 3 1 .
Hope, meaning of, 18.
Hope, tenement in, 72, 87.
Hornsby, John, constable, 27.
Horsley, Edward, bailiff, 65.
Horton, tithes, 167.
Hospital of St. Giles. Set St. Giles.
Houses, old, at Hexham, 306-S.
Housty, tenement, 27, 86, 89 ; Howsepette.
Howard, Lord William, household books, 265.
Howatson, Thomas, tenant, S5.
Howden, Cuthbert, constable, 27.
— Thomas, charity of, 177.
Howden, tithes of, 159.
Howpe, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Hudson, Alice, priory tenant, 149.
— Ellen, tenant, 68-9.
— Joseph, curate, 171.
— Thomas, master of grammar school, 224.
Hudspeth, Thomas, rioter slain, 260.
HuUand, Alan de, pays subsidy, 31.
Humble, Robert, freeholder, 87, 92.
— Rowland, tenant, 94.
— Thomas, 91, 94,
Humshaugh, lands in, sold 297.
Hunsdon, Lord, captures Naworth, 251.
Hunt, Walter, beheaded, 245.
Hunter, John, friend of Hewson, 304.
— Richard, priory tenant, 149.
— Thomas, payment to, 173.
— VVilliam, friend of Hewson, 304.
Huntergap, tenement, 71, 89.
Huntingdon, Asketill, canon of, 126.
Hunt rods, tenement, 73. 97.
Huntwell, tenement, 73, 96.
Hurd, Agnes, tenant, 77.
— Alice, priory tenant, 149.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 77, 81.
— George, tenant, 76-7.
— Henry, tenant, 77.
— John, priory tenant, 148.
— John (1547), tenant, 78, 81.
— Ralph, fined, 78.
— Richard, tenant, 81.
— Thomas, priory tenant, 149.
— William, tenant, 77.
Hurst, Edward, tenant, 81.
— John, tenant, 80.
— Matthew, tenant, 80.
— Thomas, tenant, 80.
— William, tenant. So.
Hutchinson, Hucheson, Hochonson, George (1547),
tenant, 71.
— George (1644), rated, 254.
— Hugh (1547). tenant, 71-3, 85.
■ — Hugh (1608), tenant, 89-90, 95, 97.
— John (1547), tenant, 71.
— John (1608), tenant, 88-90, 92, 95, 97, 100, 103.
— John (1644), rated, 254.
— John (1719) informer, 61.
— John, amerced, 282.
— Lionel, tenant, 95.
— Richard, auditor, 84.
— Robert (1608), tenant, 100.
— Robert (1644), rated 254.
— Robert, amerced, 282.
— Sampson, tenant, 100.
— Thomas (1547), tenant, 72-4.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 90.
— Thomas, allerkeeper, 277.
— Thomas, amerced, 283.
— William (1547), tenant, 71, 75, 85-6.
— William (1608), tenant, 87-8, 95, 97, 104.
— William (163S), a surety, 287-8.
— William (1661), one of 24, 276 ; surveyor, 277.
— William (1745), papist, 257.
Hutton, tithes of, 167.
Hutton, Berwickshire, Session Book, 255.
Hutton, Johanna, priory tenant, 149.
— John, tenant, 82.
Hyn, Robert, priory tenant, 149.
INDEX.
335
Hyndmers, George, sub-prior, i6o n.
Hynemers, Thomas, tenant, 8i.
Hynnors, Thomas, sergeant, 54, 84.
Ilyslop, John, master of grammar school, 223, 225.
I.
Ilderton, Gerard, tenant, 6g.
— Robert, sells Sadlingstones, 209 n.
Ilkley, tithes of, 159.
Independents at Hexham, 208.
Ine, King, 105.
Informers, action of, 61.
Inge, William, king's advocate, 3S.
Inghoe, Yngoo, raid upon, 49 ; mill, 158.
Ingleby, priory property at, 15-;.
Inglesby, Jane, married, 173.
Inmates, regulations for, 27S.
Inscriptions, monumental, 197-200 ; Roman, 338-9.
Inspeximus of 1298, 139-42.
Inventories, 173-4.
lona, Colman retires to, 105, io8.
Irving, Andrew, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Isell, given to priory, 142 ; priory properly, 150 ; tithes,
160.
Ivestanes, Robert de, gift to priory, 141-2.
J.
Jackson, Constantine, Catholic priest, 205 n.
— John, tenant, 98.
— Robert (1547), tenant, 76.
— Robert (1599), governor of grammar school, 211.
— Thomas, sworn man, 27.
James I., orders survey of manor, 86.
Jay, Edward, prior, 165 ; accusation against, 156 ; fate
of, 163 n.
Jedburgh church choir, 185.
Jefferson, John, papist, 257.
— Philip (1638), surety, 287-8.
— Philip (1745). papist, 257.
— Robert (1608), tenant, 93.
— Robert (1745), papist, 257.
— Thomas (1661), fined, 279.
— Thomas (1745), papist, 257.
Jekyll (Roberts), Mary, married, 297.
Jenning, Edward, papist, 61.
Jersey, William, earl of, 197.
Jew, pretented, 206.
John, King, visits He.xham, 243-4 ; charter to Spital,
309.
John, prior, 135, 164.
John of Beverley, Bisliop, 110-2, 116.
Johns, Thomas, reader, 171 n.
Johnson, Ann, charity of, 177.
— ■ Christopher, rioter, slain, 260.
— David, charity of, 177.
— Edmund, tenant, 81.
— Elizabeth, scaleraker, 281.
— George, rioter, slain, 260.
— Jane, scaleraker, 281.
— John, churchwarden, 195.
— Matthew (1547), tenant, 81.
— Matthew (1661), one of 24. 276.
— Ninian, tenant, 80.
— Robert (1547), tenant, 80.
• — Robert (1608), tenant, 92.
— Thomas, bailiff, 65.
— William (1479), priory tenant, 149.
— William (1547), tenant, 79, 81.
— William (1644), rated, 254.
— William (1720), master of grammar 1 school, 224.
— William (1725), M.I., 198.
Jolifray, William, bribes Saxton, 37, 38 n.
Jottefforth, William, tenant, 85.
Julian, Augustus, Independent minister, 208.
Jury, duties of, 27.
— the grand, petitions of, 60, 16S n.
— borough, 275-94.
Justices, duties of, 29.
— of the peace, appointed, 30.
K.
Kaiserworth, capture of celebrated, 196.
Kaye (Roberts), Katherine, married, 297.
Kearsley well, lead mine, 12 ; tenement, 75, 98 ; priory
land at, 158.
Keenley grieveship, 11, 27, 58, 86; survey of 1547,
53, 71 ; rents in 1536, 55 ; survey of 1608, S9-90,
103.
— tenements, 75, 89, 98.
Keenleyfield, Michael, tenant, 75.
Keenleyside, Roger, tenant, 75.
— William, tenant, 98.
Keeper of Tynedale, 49, 230; residence, 247-9.
Keepwick, in shire, i ; Subsidy Roll, 32 ; survey of
1547, 53, 70 ; burnt by Scots, 54 ; rents in 1536, 55 ;
survey of, 160S 102-3 » priory land at, 139, 150 ;
tithes, 159, 167.
Kelesholt, William de, bailiff, 64.
Kelham, Captain, troop of, 173.
336
INDEX,
Kell, Edvvardi(i 547), tenant, 67-8.
— Edward (160S), tenant, 99.
— Edward, amerced, 283.
— George (1547), tenant, 67.
— George (1608), tenant, 93, 99.
— George, payment to, 173.
— Gerrard, tenant, 99.
— James, tenant, 67.
— Matthew, tenant, 67.
— Michael, tenant, loi.
— Robert, tenant, 67.
— Rowland (1547), tenant, 67-S.
— Rowland (1608), tenant, 99.
— William (1547), tenant, 67-8.
— William (1608), tenant, loi.
— William, amerced, 283.
Kelley, Robert, tenant, 80.
Kemp, John, archbishop of York, 45.
Kendal, William de, prior, 165 ; excused from synods,
150 n.
Kepier, hospital of, 77.
Kernetly, William de, farms ferry, 264,
Kerr, Patrick, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Killhope Moor, elevation of, 7.
Kimblesworth, priory lands in, 153 ; Kymesworth.
King, Henry, will of, 177.
King's power in regality, 25-6, 39, 56, 59; regard for
privileges, 41.
Kirkby, priory property at, 153.
Kirkham, passage to undercroft, 190.
Kirkheton, raid upon, 49; priory lands at, 147, 151,
.58
— parish, joins regality, i.
Kirsopp, James, owner of Spital, 311.
— Jude, aletaster, 277.
— Robert, tenant, 93, 219 n.
— Thomas (i5o8), tenant, 93.
— Thomas (1745), papist, 257.
— William, 93, 104.
, tenant, 67.
— family, M.I., 198.
Knaresborough, quarrel with men of, 44 ; pension from,
'47-
Knaresdale, priory lands at, 150 ; rector of, 224.
Knipe, John, Independent minister, 208 n.
Knitelhesell, priory lands at, 1 39.
Knockburn, tenement, 97.
Knocksfield Moor, elevation of, 7.
Knol, Roger de, pays subsidy, 33.
Knott, John, Methodist, 209 n.
Labourers, Statutes of, enforced, 42.
' Lady Chapel ', 144, 168-9, 171 n, 185-6.
Lagena, term explained, 153 n.
Laing, James, marriage by, 175.
Lamb, Andrew, rioter, slain, 260.
Lambley prioress, service to priory, 151.
Lames house, tenement, 72, 88.
Lancastrians, efforts of, 45 ; defeated, 155, 245.
Lanchester, priory land in, 153, 159.
Lanercost priory, Scots burn, 148 ; rebellion of, 162.
— prior of, tenant, 80.
Lanfranc, archbishop of Canterbury, 22, 118.
Langdale, Sir Marmaduke, Royalist leader, 253.
Langdene, priory lands at, 151.
Lange, William, tenant, 92.
Langhope, tenement, 82, gi ; mill, 15^.
Langley, barony of, disorder in, 53 ; priory lands in,
IS'- >59-
— castle, Carnabys flee to, 51 ; residence, 2^7.
— chapel, property of priory, 139.
Langton, Richard de, bailiff, 65.
Lasenby, Elizabeth («e'e Gill), 209 n.
— John of, prior, 136, 164.
— Joseph, married, 209 n.
— Ralph, Presbyterian minister, 209-10.
Lasinus of Hexham, cattle stealer, 38.
Laurie, Robert, Presbj^erian minister, 210.
Lavatory, the priory, 190.
Laverock, John, priory tenant, 148.
— Patrick, priory tenant, 148-9.
Lawson, Alfred S., bellfounder, 195.
— George, 57 ; bequest to grammar school, 21 3.
— Jane, charity of, 176.
— Sir Ralph, contributes to grammar school, 218.
— William, tenant, 79.
Layton, Richard, visitation of, 54, 156-7.
Lead mines, account of, 9-13 ; rent of, 54, 83, 97, 103 ;
grant of, 59.
Leadbitter, Anas, scaletaker, 2S1.
— George, papist, 257.
— Jasper, O.S.D., 205 ; M.I., 199.
— (Pearson) Mary, married, 313.
— Ralph, papist, 257.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 93.
— Thomas (16S0), detains money, 220 n ; fined, 278.
— Thomas (171 9), informer, 256.
— William, tenant, 93.
Leadwood, Richard, tenant, 93.
Leanwood, Thomas (1661), scaleraker, 281.
INDEX.
337
Leanwood, Thomas (1702), burled, 174.
Leather trade, 268-9.
Le Cesne, Nicholas, priest, buried, 175.
Lecturers, bequest to, 171 n; list of, 172; share of
common, 258 n.
Lectureship, founded, 166-7.
Ledgard, Joseph, buys Spital, 311.
Lee, Adam de, pension to, 150.
— Arthur (1547), tenant, 81.
— Arthur (1608), tenant, 100.
— Charles, lecturer, 172.
— Edward, archbishop, 54, 69, 78, 8;, 131-2 ; tries to
reform priory, 155 ; letter to Cromwell, 157.
— ■ Elizabeth (nee Roberts), married, 297.
— John (1479), priory tenant, 148.
— John (1547), tenant, 68.
— John (1608), tenant, 100.
— Matthew (I547~), tenant, 68.
— Matthew, churchwarden, 195.
— Nicholas, tenant, 101.
— Richard (1547), tenant, 68-9.
— Richard (1608), tenant, loi.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 100.
— Thomas, churchwarden, 195.
— Walter, bailiff, 65.
— William (1547), tenant, 68, 73-4.
— William (1608), tenant, 98-9, loi.
— William (1679), surveyor, 27.
Leech, master of grammar school, 224.
Leedes, master of grammar school, 224.
Legh, Thomas, visitation of, 54, 156-7.
Leicester, canon translated to, 138 n.
Leighton, Henry, rioter, slain, 260.
Lelom, Thomas de, bailiff, 65.
Leschman, Lishman, George, tenant. So.
— John, priory tenant, 149.
— Malye, freeholder, 87.
— Mary, scaleraker, 104.
— Matie, tenant, 93.
— Richard, tenant, 81.
— Rowland, prior, 165; building done under, 190;
tomb of, 193.
— Rowland (i547). tenant, 80-1, 33.
— Rowland (1680), pounder, 279.
— Thomas, fined, 78.
— William, tenant, 219 n ; gaoler, 226 n.
Lester, Thomas, bellfounder, 195.
Levestone, Thomas, wife of, slain, 260.
Leyghton, Edward, tenant, 80.
— Robert, tenant, 80.
Vol. IlL
Lichfield cathedral clerestory, 184.
Liddesdale Scots break gaol, 229 ; Dacre flees to, 251.
Liddle, Edmund, one of 24, 276 ; constable, 278 n.
— Elizabeth, tenant, 91.
— George, tenant, 92.
— Hector, tenant, 92.
— John, scaleraker, 281.
— Robert, scaleraker, 281.
— Thomas (1547), tenant, 80.
— Thomas (1599), governor of grammar school, 2H.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 92.
— WjUiam, freeholder, 87, 92.
Presbyterian minister, 210.
Liege, capture of, celebrated, 196.
Lightshield, 75, 98.
Lilburne, General, 207.
Lilswood, William, son of Ralph de, kilh'd, 25 n.
Lilswood, tenement, 77-8, 90-1.
— Moor, elevation of, 7.
Limestone brey, tenement, 75-6, 98.
Lindisfarne, Ethelwine flees to, 22 ; see of Bernicia,
107.
--bishop of, Cuthbert, 109; Cynewulf, 114; Ean-
berht, 21, 118 ; Eardulf, 117-8 ; Kata, 107-9.
— see of, gains shire, 21, 118 ; survival in, 875, 116 ;
connection with Hexham, 117-8.
Lindsey, diocese formed, 107.
Linewood, Edward, tenant, 80.
— Juhn, tenant, 80.
Linmouth, tithes, 167.
Linton, tithes, 167.
Lisle, Insula, Peter de, hunting licence, 24.
— Robert de, gift to priory, 140-1.
— Walter de, gift to priory, 140.
— William de, gift to priory, 141-
Litharage, tenement, 77, 9l-
Lithegraynes, John de, steward, 64.
Little, Edward, freeholder, 87.
— John, priory tenant, 149.
— Thomas, one of 24, 276 ; market keeper, 277 ;
fined, 27S.
Little Bavington, priory property at, 140, 151.
Little Broughton, pension out of, 65 ; priory property,
I53> 159-
Little Heton, priory propert)', 140-1, 147.
Littleskill, John, sergeant, 102.
— Matthew, tenant, 80.
— William (1547), tenant, 79, 81.
_ William (1608), tenant, 92.
Liveries, Statute of, 41.
43
338
INDEX.
Llanover, Andrews, vicar of, 1 72 n.
Lloyd, Captain Charles, inspects Hexham, 231, 252,
165.
Loaning house, tenement, 90.
Locke, Thomas, married, 173.
Lockhart, Presbyterian minister, 210.
London, Neville beheaded at, 45 ; Baptist church at,
207 ; suits not to go to, 292 ; All Hallows' church,
303 ; Drury Lane theatre, 30+.
Longlee, tenement, 77, 90.
Lonkley, tenement, 72, 87.
Lonstaff, Ralph, churchwarden, 195.
Loraine, Sir Thomas, annuity to, 62.
— William, annuity to, 62.
— Xevison, family of, M.I., 199.
Lowry, John, papist, 61.
Lowes, Elizabeth (tift Pearson), married, 313.
— John, tenant, 93.
— Nicholas, master of grammar school, 224.
— Robert, Methodist, 209 n.
Ludham, Archbishop, rules of, 130 n, 136-7.
Lumley, George, bailiff, 65.
Luzara, battle of, celebrated, ig'j.
Lyndley, Thomas, will of, 22S.
M.
Maban, teaches singing, 1 13.
Machin, Nicholas, papist, 257.
Macready, appears in 'Julian,' 299,
Madson, John, tenant, S7, 89.
— Nicholas, tenant, 87.
Magnus, Thomas, letter to Wolse)', 46 ; sent to Wolsey,
47-
Maidenstedhall, priory property, 153. 1^9.
Malcoln HI., invasion by, 123-4, -''j-
Manor. Sie Hexhamshire.
— lord of, enjoys fines, 274 ; chooses borough jur}', 276 ;
petition to, 232 ; rights guarded, 293-4.
Manor office. -S'«gao!.
Manorial courts, particulars of, 27 ; granted to Forster,
59 ; survival of privileges, 63 ; die out, 64; profits
of suits, 68 ; borough jury, 275-94.
Marchall, John, tenant, 69.
Marches, East, plan to reform, 49 ; warden of, 52.
— Middle, plan to reform, 49; muster in 1580 55 ;
wardens of, 52, 84, 246, 250-1.
Mariscall, Richard, leases lead mines, 10.
Market, controlled by archbishop, 24 ; frequenteJ by
tliieves, 47 ; tolls belong to lord, 54, 59 ; farmed
out, 83, 94 ; d.ites for holding fixed, 267-9.
Market gardening, 15.
Marie, Anthony, tenant, 80.
Marlow, Anthony, fined, 83.
Marrow, David, rioter, slain, 260.
Marshall (Bacon), Jane, married, 312.
— John, sergeant, 54, 84
Marston Moor, battle of, 174, 236.
Martin, Jonathan, arrested, 262.
Marton, Alex, de, prior, 165 ; resigns, 155.
Martyn, John, master of Spital, 311.
Mary, queen of Scots, 247, 249
Mass Book, Red, of Hexham, 156.
Matfen pays tithes to priory, 136 ; priory lands at, 141,
147, 158 ; free warren at, 151 n.
Mathilda, Empress, 133.
Maton, Richard de, prebendary, 125, 130 n.
Maughan, Alex, scaleraker, 281.
— John, tenant, 89.
— Margery [nee Pearson), married, 313.
— Mary, fined, 279.
Maydowell, Andrew, amerced, 282.
Mayer (iMitford), Deborah, married, 298.
Mears, Thomas, bellfounder, 195.
Measure, Hexham, 267 n.
Meaux, Wilfrid sick at, 113, 201.
Medhope, 57.
Meke, John, curate, 169, 172.
Melrose, Eata, abbot of, loS.
Melton, William, archbishop, petition for fairs, 26,
267-8, dismisses coroner, 30 ; states value of
regality, 34 ; abolishes baillffpotte, 36 ; gets pension
for Lelom, 65 ; rules of, 130 n ; efforts to rebuild
priory, 147 ; order to build gaol, 225-6, 232 ;
order for ferry, 264.
Menill, Henry de, bailiff, 39, 64; to build bridge, 263 n.
Menville le Bingard, priest of, 175.
Mercers' company founds lectureship, 166-7; door
built by, 169.
Mercia, king of, in.
Merdene, Henry de, prior, 136-7, 164.
Mering, Thomas, priory tenant, 159.
Merlai, Randulf de, benefactor of priory, 133.
— Roger de, gift to priory, 141.
Methodists in Hexham, 208-9, ^"■
Michael, oratory of St., 1 10.
Middlehope, tenement, 73, 96.
Middle ri^g, tenement, 27, 75-6, 98.
Midiltona, William de, pays subsidy, 32.
Milburn, property of priory, 140, 152, 15S; free
warren, 1 51 n.
INDEX.
339
Militia, balloling tor, 25S-9.
Miilington, priory properly, 154.
Mills, Acomb, 69, loc-i ; Allendale, 72, 97 ; AUerwash,
140, 151; Bingfield, 149; Brinklaw, 141 ; Catton,
89; Coastley, 91, 150; Daltoii, 141, 152. 15S;
Elringlon, 141, 150; Hallington, 70; Hamburn,
119; Inghoe, 158; Keepwick, 70, 102; King's,
95; Kirkby, 153 ; Lillle Broughton, 153 ; Naffer-
toii, 152; Newbiggiii, 91, 139; Ninebanks, 75,
98; Ovingham, 297-8; Plumland, 150; Salton,
154; Tyne, 57, 126, 139, 149, 297-8 ; Whitley, 78,
90 ; order to build, 264.
— in Hexhamshire, rents in 1536, 55 ; in 1608 103-4.
Milner, Anne, scaleraker, 281.
— Robert, priory tenant, 14S.
Mines. See lead and coal.
Mintaff, John, rioter, slain, 260.
Mirehouse, tenement, 77, 90.
Misrule, lords of, 293.
Mitcheson, Matthew, inventory of goods, 173-4.
Mitford, Mary Russell, describes church, 168 ; describes
Hexham, 261 ; account of, 299-300.
— William, bailiff, 65.
— of Hexham, family, 297-300.
Mitteford, William de, steward, 65.
Mohope head, tenement, 75, 98.
Moile, Thomas, 85.
Mollersteads, tenement, 78, 90 ; Nallarstede.
Monasteries, dissolution of, 156.
Monk, Thomas, priory tenant, 148-9.
Monk, tenement, 71.
Menkes, John, tenant, 80.
Monkwearmouth, stone discovered at, 115; string
course at, 179.
Moore, Robert, prisoner, 229.
— William, tenant, 98.
Moorhouse, tenement, 72, 87.
Moot hall, account of, 225-35.
Mora, Hugh de, pays subsidy, 33.
Morpeth, schoolmaster at, 211 ; rebels at, 255 ; Cob-
ham'j dragoons at, 258 ; rioting at, 258 ; assizes,
259 ; carriage from, 265 ; lords of misrule al, 293 n.
Morton, Barker, curate of, 171.
Morton, John, tenant, 79.
Moulter from Eachwick, tenant, 152.
Mountgomerie, Maly, to repair causey, 203.
Mountney, Ursula, charity of, 176.
Murdac, archbishop, visits priory, 136, 155.
Murray (^riee Mitford), Alicia, married, 299.
Mylne, engineer of bridge, 266.
N.
Nafferton mill, priory property, 152.
Namium vetilum, term explained, 25 n.
Nattrass, John, M.I., 199.
Nave, the priory church, 188-91.
Navy, bounty to those who join, 175.
Naworth castle, captured, 251.
Nentesbire, Alan de, leases lead mine, 10.
Nesbit East, priory lands, 136, 141, 147, 152, 158.
Nevill, Ralph de, 39 n.
Neville, Archbishop, 194 ; gives Spital to priory, 154,
310.
— Sir Humphrey, bailiff, 65 ; account of, 45.
— Sir John, bailiff, 65.
Neville's Cross, battle of, 148, 191, 244.
Newark, Henry de, archbishop, 39 ; care of canons, 138.
Newbiggen, tenement, 78, 90-t ; mill, 139.
Newbiggin-on-Sea, priory land at, 141, 152.
Newbrough, tithes of, 159 ; rioters from, 260.
Newburn, rioters from, 260 ; battle of, 253 ; fisheries,
141, 152, 158.
Newcastle-on-Tyne, lead exported from, 9 ; marauders
approach, 49; inspeximus held at, 139; priory
property at, 140, 153, 158 ; grammar school, 169-
70, 262 ; St. John's church, 170-1 ; savings bank,
171 ; Lit. and Phil., 171 ; St. Mary's cathedral,
205 ; Baptist church, 206-7 i St. Nicholas's church,
209 n ; vicar of, 260; schoolmasters at, 211 ; Sir
John Forster at, 250; Sussex at, 251; Jacobites
hope to take, 255-6 ; militia sent from, 259.
— diocese of, 64, 169 ; canon of, 171.
— duke of, 296.
— and Carlisle railway, 267.
Newfield, tenement, 75.
Newlands and Rowley ward, in shire, 26 ; present-
ments in, 27 ; survey of 1547, 53, 76-9 ; rents in
'53^1 55 ; collector of 58, 102 ; total rents, 103.
Newminster, abbot of, gift to priory, 140 ; payment to,
151.
— monastery, revenue of, 157 ; rebellion of, 162.
Newport, CO. Cornwall, pocket borough, 304.
Newshield, tenement, 73, 95.
Newton in Cookdale, priory property, 140, 152.
Newton {nee Andrews), Ann, 175 ; M.I., 197.
— Thomas, married, 175.
Nichols, mentioned, 172.
Nicholson, Robert, priory tenant, 149.
— Rowland, tenant, 90.
• pupil of Bewick, 305.
Nidd, council near river, 112, 201.
340
INDEX.
Night stairs, the prior)', 187.
Ninebanks, in sliire, i ; lead mining, 10 ; Subsidy Roll,
33 ; surveyor 1547, 53, 75-6 ; rents in 1536, 55 ;
survey of i5o8, 97-8 ; priory land at, 139, 150.
Nixon, William, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Noble, Thomas, tenant, 92.
— • William, scaleraker, 104.
Nonconformists, fees paid by, 174 ; bodies in Uexliam,
205-11.
Nook, tenement, 76, 89, 98.
Norfolk, duke of, dissolves priory, 52, 163 ; letter of
Tempest to, 55 ; conference at York, 162 ; share in
plunder, 164; upholds order, 246.
Norman architecture, 1S3-4, 204.
Normanville, John de, homage to priory, 141.
North British railway, 267.
North York militia, 259-60.
Northumberland, waste lands in, 43 n ; wars in, 45 ;
disorderly condition, 47, 53 ; Tynedale and regality
made part of, 55-6; loyalty to Stuarts in, 60; in-
vaded by Scots, 123, 133, 137, 148 ; Scots kings'
interest in, 134; protected by Edward I., 143; in
bishopric of Hexham and Newcastle, 205 ; school-
masters in, 21 1 ; executions in, 251.
— archdeaconry of, 64.
— countess of, buries plate, 250.
— duke of, John Dudley, 246 ; Hugh Percy, 304.
— earl of (1378), gives Ovingham to priory, 154.
— (^1409), rebellion of, 154.
— Henry Percy (1520), describes Charlton, 47.
— Henry Percy ((559), dispute with Sadler, 247-9 '1
rebellion of, 249-51.
— sheriff of, Charun, 37 n.
Northumbria, divided into dioceses, 107.
— kings of, Aldfrith, 11 0-2; Eadbert, 114; Eardulf,
112; Ecgfrid, 105, 107, log-io ; Elfwald, 115;
Osred, 112 ; coins of, 243.
Norwich, bishop of, witness, 268 n.
— soldiers at Hexham, 254-5, 265.
Nostell, Gilbert, canon of, 145, 146 n ; plea for, 157.
Nottinghamshire, canons sojourn in, 147.
Nubbock, tenement, 94.
Nunwick, AUgoods of, 302.
Nuthode, Johanna, priory tenant, 149.
Nj'cksons, raid Old Town, 48.
O.
Oakpool, Akep, tenement, 71, 89.
Obedientiarii, officials of priory. 126, 12S-9.
O'Cal'aghan, Henry, bishop, 206.
Ogle shrine, demolished, 169, 194 ; described, 193.
Ogle, Cuthbert Lord, 56-7, 80, 296.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 78.
— Francis, tenant, 90.
— George (i 547), tenant, 77-9.
— George (1608), tenant, 91.
— Henry, tenant, 78.
— John (1608), tenant, go.
— John, master of grammar school, 224.
— Lewis, keeps Halton, 51 ; deputy bailiff, 65, 229.
— Robert de, justice, 42 n ; bailiff, 65 ; steward, 65.
— Robert de (d. 1410), tomb of, 193 n.
— first baroness, 296.
— clan, raid by, 245.
Okerland, origin of name, 270.
Old Farmer, The, 19.
Old Town, Roman remains, 9; burnt in 1515, 48;
inherited by Fenwick, 57 ; tenements at, 86, 88-9.
Oliu, William, pays subsidy, 32.
Oliver, Edmund, tenant, 87, 92.
— Elizabeth (nee Carr), married, 301.
— Hannah, legacy to, 172.
— James, payment to, 254 ; fined, 279.
— John, tenant, 92.
Olmers, priory property, 151.
Ord, Edward, tenant, 91.
— Elizabeth, heiress, 62-3.
— George, tenant, 90-2.
— John (160S), tenant, 91.
— John (1751)1 bailiff, 65.
— Mabel, gifts and charity, 1756, 218.
— Richard, Baptist minister, 207.
— Mr., letter to, 61.
Ordericus Vitalis, birthplace of, 110 n.
Ordley, hamlet, 91.
Ormesbye, tenant, 71.
Osbercht, king, coins of, 243.
Oseney, Merdene, prior of, 136, 164.
Osred, King, summons council, 112.
Ostia, Alberic, bishop of, 1 34
Oulde, Edith, tenant, 93.
Oundle, Wilfrid dies at, 112
Oustley, tenement, 73, 89, 97.
Ouston, Ulkeston, pays tithes, 136, 141, 152.
— Thomas, tenant, 98.
Overseers appointed, 282.
Ovingham, Scots quarter by, 253 ; cell of, given to
priory, 154 ; revenue, 157 ; architecture of church,
183, 186 n; master of, 160-1, 163.
— fishery, 151.
INDEX.
34'
Oviiigliain mills, 297-S.
Owen, John, .attacks Walton, 303,
Oxford colleges, Corpus, 170 ; Kettle hall, 169 ;
Queen's, 171-2 ; St. Edmund's hall, 170 ; St.
Frideswide, 1S7 n ; John Bate at, 302 : Walton
at, 303.
— countess of, share of common, 258 n.
— earl of, Hexham property, 296.
Oxiey, Georgina {>iee Waddilove), M.I., 199.
— Henry, papist, 61.
Paget, Williazn, Kepier conceded to, 77.
Paise, tenement, 61, 94.
Pannage, service to priory, 1+9.
Paparone, Cardinal, visits Hexham, 243.
Parish Councils Act, 295.
Park and forest grieveship, 11, 26 ; presentments in,
27-
Parke, Ambrose, tenant, 72.
Parkenson, Galfrid, farms tolls, 83, 94.
Parker, Jane, rated, 254.
— Richard (1608), clerk of manor, 102.
— Richard (1661), one of 24, 276.
— Thomas, master of Spital, 311.
Parliament of 1414, 40, 41 n ; of 1421, 42, 43 ;
Reformation, 50, 156; of 1311, 146; canons peti-
tions to, 147, 148 n.
Parson, Robert, tenant, 82.
Paston (Mitford), Elizabeth, married, 29S.
Pastoral farming, 15-7.
Patenson, John (1479), priory tenant, 149.
— John (1547), fined, 76.
Patterson, Peter, hanged, 259.
, Presbyterian minister, 210. .
Pattison, Margaret, tenant, 8S.
— Matthew, tenant, 96.
— Thomas, wait, 280.
Pawterson, Henry, tenant, 75.
Peacock, Gills, sponsor, 174.
Pearson, Agnes, tenant, 73.
— George, amerced, 282.
— Miles, amerced, 282.
— Nenye, tenant, 85.
— Richard, tenant, 88, 97.
— Robert, tenant, 89, loi.
— Mr., payment to, 173.
— of the Spital, family of, 311, 313.
Peas meadows, tenement, 72, 96.
Peckriding, tenement, 95.
Pedigrees, Carr, 301; Mitford, 298; Pearson, 313;
Roberts, 297 ; Wastell, 312-3.
Peile, Benjamin, Presbyterian minister, 210; .M.I.,
199 ; legacy to, 209 n.
— Elizabeth, M.I., 199.
Pembroke, earl of, witness, 268 n.
Penanccr, official of manor, 30.
Peninsular war, victories celebrated, 196.
Penrith, coaches to, 267.
Pension to Lelom, 65 ; on election of prior, 128; to
Eenwick, 145 ; to Lee, 150 ; to Jay, 159, 163.
Penswick, Dr., of Liverpool, 205.
Percy, Henry H., 39 n.
— Sir Thomas, treason of, 52, 245.
— William, steward, 65. See Northumberland.
Perkinson, John, scaleraker, 104.
Pescott, rioter, slain, 260.
Petriana, Roman station, 238-g.
Philipson, George (1547), tenant, 72.
— George (160S), tenant, 98.
— Hugh, tenant, 75.
— Lawrence, tenant, 71.
— Robert, reeve of Cadden, 85.
— Thomas, tenant, 86.
Pickering, Robert, tenant, 72, 76, 85-6.
Picts drive out Trumbriht, 109 ; revival of, 1 16.
Pigge, Roger, tenant, 80-1.
Pilgrave, William, tenant, 81.
Pilgrimage of Grace, 50, 52, 161, 245.
Pincanhale, synod of, 115.
Pipes, ancient, at Hexham, 106 n, 240.
Plate, the church, 175.
Ploughs, payment to curate on, 166.
Pluscardyn church transepts, 185.
Plague in shire, 42.
Plumpton, Sir William, suppresses riot, 44-5.
Podsbank, tenement, 87.
Popes, Agatho, 106, 110; Calixtus II., 130; Gregory
the Great, 113; Gregory VII., 22, 118, 119. 121 ;
Vitalian, 107.
Porter, Robert le, bailiff, 64 ; master of Spital, 311.
Portgate, tenement, 72, 81 ; Spital rent from, 309-10.
Portland, duke of, Hexham property, 296.
Pounder, duties of, 279.
Pratt, Mary (jiee Fenwick), M.I., 198.
— William, pays subsidy, 32.
Prehistoric remains, 237.
Presbyterians at Hexham, 209-1 1.
Presdale, priory pasture in, 140, 150.
Preshell, Ellingsby, annuity to, 62.
342
INDEX.
Pretender, ihe old, proclaimed ;it Hexham, 256.
— the young, at Carlisle, 257.
Pretot, Cann, priest of, 175.
Priests, hereditary, of Hexham, 119.
Priors. See Hexham priors.
Priory of St. Andrew. See Hexham priory.
Proud, John, rioter, slain, 260.
Proverbs, local, 268 n, 280 n, 295 n.
Provosts of regality, 22, 118-9.
Prudhoe castle, resort of rebels, 52 ; priory lands at,
141, 151, 158 ; rioters from, 260.
Purde, Robert, married, 173.
Pyetroon, tenement, 85, 88.
Pynte, John, fined, 279.
Q.
Quakers in Hexham, 208.
Quarries, regulation of, 288-9 '< keepers appointed, 289.
Quarter sessions, petitions to, 11, 168 n.
Qwyneteley, Wharnley, 139.
R.
Radcliffe, Xxm, charity of, 219, 223.
— SirCuthbert, 160, 24.6.
— Dame Elizabeth, charity of, 176.
Railton, Joseph, master of grammar school, 224.
Railways to Hexham, 267.
Raine, Thomas, amerced, 2S6.
Ramsey, Ale.xander, 2c6.
Rastell (ttee Allgood), Mary, trustee of manor, 302.
— William, trustee of manor, 302.
Ratcliffe, Edward, freeholder, 87.
Raw, .\mos, payment to, 173.
Rawgreen, tenement, 77, 91.
Rawle, George, tenant, 71.
Rawlinson, Sir Thomas, 197.
Raylton, delivers letter, 247.
Rea, Rowland, tenant, 100.
Readshaw, John de, master of Spital, 311.
— Richard, tenant, 77.
— Rowland, tenant, 77.
Rebellion of 1569, 60, 154, 249-51.
— of 1715, 60-1, 255-6.
— of 1745, 61, 257-S.
Receiver, duties of, 30, 58 ; salary, 102.
Reclason, John, tenant, 86.
Record, court of, regulations, 63.
Redesdale, disorder in, 53.
Redheugh, tenement, 75, 98.
Redshaw, Herbert, accused of treason, 41.
Redshaw, Robert, tenant, 90.
— Rowland, tenant, 79.
— Thomas, accused of treason, 41.
Redulf, King, coins of, 243.
Reede, Gilbert, tenant, 80.
Reform Bill, rejoicings over, 262.
Register, Hexham parish, 173.
— Roman Catholic, 205 n.
Relics, translation of, 123, 135.
Renwick, Ravenwick, priory lands at, 150.
R«nwick, James, payment to, 173.
— Richard, tenant, 95.
Rewe, George, tenant, 86.
Ribil, Robert de, homage, 141.
Richard, bailiff (lijj), 64 ; gift to priory, 140.
— son of Alexander, bailiff, 64.
— prior, 164; party to agreement, 131-2 ; works of,
134; date of death, 135.
Richardson, Christina, M.I., 199.
— James, Presbyterian minister, 210 ; M.I., 199.
— Joseph, account of, 304.
— ■ Robert, tenant, 71-2.
— Thomas, rioter, slain, 260.
Richeson, George, pounder, 279.
— John, tenant, 88-9.
— Robert, tenant, 89.
Richmond, Peter de, justice, 30.
Rickertson, John, surveyor, 27.
Riddip, Barbara, bond of, 2S7-8.
Riddlehamhope, tenement, 77.
Ridinghill, tenement, 27, 85, 88.
Ridley, Christopher (1608), tenant, 90.
— Christopher (1635), imprisoned, 226 n.
— Cuthbert, death of, 173.
— (Carr) Dorothy, married, 301.
— Edward, tenant, loi.
— James, tenant, 159.
— John (1547), tenant, 81-2.
— John (1599), tenant, 91, 100 ; governor of grammar
school, 211, 219 n.
— John (1745)1 papist, 257.
— John (1770), buys land in Humshaugh, 297.
— Lionel, tenant, 90.
— Nicholas (1451)1 steward, 65.
— Nicholas (1547), tenant, 80.
— Nicholas, amerced, 2S3.
— Nicholas (1734), breaks Sabbath, 175 ; charity of,
176; lost, 177.
— Richard, tenant, 91.
— Stephen, papist, 257.
INDEX.
343
Ridley, William (1608), tenant, 87, 90.
— William (1745), papist, 257.
Rievaulx, Aelred, abbot of, 119.
Rigg, term explained, 18.
Riot, Hexham, 258-61 ; sermons on, 172, 260-1.
Riplen^ton, priory lanti at, 141.
Ripon, manor of, value stated, 32 ; fair of, 44; Wilfrid
founds church, 105; bishop of, 11 1-2; Ealdhun
flees to, iiS; church freed from castellans, 130;
crypt of, 180 ; Wilfrid restored to, 201.
Rischeles, priory lands at, 140, 150, 159.
Ritschell, Jane, legacy to, 171 n.
• — George, senior, curate, 169 ; lecturer, 172 ; M.I., iqS.
— George, junior, curate, 170-1 ; lecturer, 172 ; will of,
171 n; repairs church, 173; dispute about bells,
196 ; letter to archbishop, 221-2 ; dispute with, 24,
277 n.
Robert le Tanur, leases lead mine, 9.
Roberts, Henry, brickmaker, 290.
— of Hexham, family, 296-7.
Robertson, John, tenant, 86.
— William, Independent minister, 208.
Robeson, Cuthbert, disturbs Presbyterians, 209 n.
— Richard, tenant, 88.
Robinson, Adam, tenant, 72 74.
— .Agnes, tenant, 99.
— Anthony, tenant, 76.
— Cuthbert (1547), tenant, 76.
— Cuthbert (1717), buys Spilal, 311.
— Edmund, tenant, 94.
— Henry, tenant, 96.
— Hugh, tenant, 85.
— Jane, tenant, 99.
— John, tenant, 95.
— Nicholas, tenant, 98.
— Richard, tenant, 73-4.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 95.
— Thomas, Independent mini^-ter, 20S.
— William, tenant, 96, 99.
Robson (Carr), Alice, married, 301.
— Alice {nee Roberts), married, 297.
— Ann, scaleraker, 2S1.
— .Arche, of Tynedale, 50.
— Gilbert, governor of grammar school, 211.
— Hector, one of 24. 276 ; market keeper, 277.
— James, son of, slain, 26c.
— John, of Tynedale, 50.
— John (1608), tenant, 92.
— John (1661), fined, 279.
— (Mitford), .Margaret, married, 2j8.
Robson, Mary, to repair causey, 203 ; rated, 254.
— Robert, amerced, 282.
— Robert, churchwarden, 195.
— Roger, tenant, 68.
— • Thomas, tenant, 80, 83.
— William, detains money, 220 ; market keeper, 277 ;
fined, 278.
Rodham, Redilomc, Christopher (1^47), tenant, 73-4.
— Christopher (1608), tenant, 97.
— • Cuthbert, surveyor, 27.
— Joseph, Methodist, 209 n.
— Matthew, tenant, 97.
— William, tenant, 96.
Rokeby, James, auditor, 160.
Roland, William, tenant, 71.
RoUe, Rowell, Henry, tenant, 73.
— Hugh, tenant, 72.
— William, tenant, 73.
Roman Catholics, lists of, 61, 257 ; charity for, 176 ;
chapel of, 205. 211 ; bishop, 205-6 ; school, 225 ;
in Hexham, 256.
Roman, lead smelting, 9 ; masons employed by Wil-
frid, 179 ; stones in church, iSo, 191, 238 ; in gaol,
232 ; occupation of Hexham, 237-40.
Romayne, John de, archbishop, visits priory, 137;
appoints schoolmaster, 21 1 n ; order for bridge, 263.
Romsey church clerestory, 1S5.
Rood, Christopher, tenant, 97.
Rood screen, 194.
Roper, Ann (nee Mitford), married, 299.
Ros, lord de, 39 n.
Roses, Wars of the, 45.
Rothbury, Scots at, 256 ; church transepts, 1S6 n.
Rotheram, Caleb, M.I., 198.
— Edward, account of, 304-5-
— John, M.I., 198.
— Katherine {jiee Roberts), married, 297.
— Thomas, archbishop, 4:, 44.
— William, master of grammar school, 224.
Rouley, Adam de, pays subsidy, 31.
— Edmund de, pays subsidj^ 31.
— ■ John de, pays subsidy, 34.
— Thomas de, pays subsidy, 32.
Routledge, Fortune, tenant, 94.
— George, slain, 173.
— James, tenant, S8-9.
Row, John, rioter, slain, 260.
Rowantreestob, tenement, 72. 97.
Rowell, RoUe, Cuthb.;rt, tenant, 83, 95.
■ — Henry, reeve, 74.
344
INDEX.
Rowell, Margaret, tenant, 97.
— William, tenant, 88.
Rowland, Edward, detains money, 220 n ; one of 24,
276.
— George, papist, 257.
— Thomas (1547), tenant, 78.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 94.
— William (160S), tenant, 91.
— William (1644), payment to, 254
Rowlandson, John, tenant, 80.
Rowle, Rowell, Edward, tenant, 85.
— George (1547), tenant, 85.
— George (1608), tenant, 95.
— Hugh, tenant, 88.
— John, tenant, 85.
— Rowland, tenant, 81.
— Thomas, constable, 27.
— William, tenant, 94-5.
Rowley, Rouley, ward, in shire, 26 ; Subsidy Roll, 32 ;
priory lands in, 139, 150. See Newlands and Rowley
ward.
Rowtes, Rowland, tenant, 79.
Ruddock of Okerland family, M.I., 199-200.
Rumney, Peter, curate, 171 ; M.I., 19S ; master of
grammar school, 224 ; sermon by, 201.
Russell (Mitford), Mary, married, 299.
Rutherford, George, Presbyterian minister, 209 n.
— William, rioter slain, 260.
Rymer, Robert, papist, 257.
Sabbath breaking punished, 175, 283.
Sacrist, official of priory, 126 ; rents appropriated to,
i;o, 152-3
Sadelingstan, Adam de, gift, 139.
Sadler, John, tenant, 82.
— Sir Ralph, opinion of gaol, 230 ; dispute with earl of
Northumberland, 247-9; suppresses rebellion, 250-1.
St. Agatha, monastery of, 162.
St. Andrews, Scotland, founded, 114 n, 116.
St. Carilef, William de, bishop, 121.
St. Giles hospital, granted to Carnaby, 52 ; property of
priory, 154, 158 ; ancient cross at, 183 ; account of,
309-13.
St. John Lee, gathering of rebels at, 51 ; identified
with Erneshou, no.
— chapel, register, 10 ; tithes of, 159 ; neglected,
202 n ; curate of, loi, 171-2, 224; glebe, 149.
— parish, in shire, I; agricultural returns, 13, 16;
number of tenants in, 34 ; rioters from, 260.
St. Mary's chapel, crosses found near, 182 ; Norman
stones from 183 n ; account of 200-5 ; Walter,
priest of, 263.
St. Oswald chapel, glebe of, 141 ; tithes, 159 ; lecture-
ship, 167 ; neglected, 202 n.
— chapelry, in shire, i.
— Gloucester, priory, 144-5, '57-
Salade, the Fenwick, 236.
Salmon, John, rated, 254.
Salton, given to priory, 130, 142 ; priory property at,
'53-4' '59 • J^y pensioned with, 163,
Sanctuary, right of, 106, 117, 123-4; respected by
David I., 133 ; bounds re-arranged, 134 ; advantage
to Hexham, 242.
Sanderson, George, papist, 61.
— John, papist, 61.
— (Wastell), Margaret, married, 312.
Sandhoe, in shire, i ; Subsidy Roll, 33 ; prior)' lands
at, 125. "39- '49>>58.
Sandon, Walton has living of, 303.
Sandou, Robert de, pays subsidy, 31.
— William de, pays subsidy, 32.
Sanitary regulations, 277, 284-5.
Sawley monastery, rebellion of, 162.
Saxon architecture, priory, 177-81 ; St. Mary's, 201.
— stones, 181-3.
— period at Hexham, 240-3.
Sa.xton, Roger de, bailiff, 64 ; imposes bailiffpotle, 36 ;
takes bribes, 37.
Scalerakers, office described, 58, 104 ; duties of, 279-gi.
Scales, priory lands at, 1 50.
Scarsfield, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Schools, the Hexham, burned, 137.
— Newcastle grammar, 169-70.
— the old, finished, 144 ; roof broken, 16S ; demolished,
169 ; timber in, 171 n ; windows repaired, 173 ;
described, 185-6 ; used by grammar school, 220.
— Queen Elizabeth's grammar, governors, 177 ;
masters of, 171, 223-5 i account of, 211-25 ; share
of common, 258 n.
— other Hexham, 225.
Scolds to be fined, 283.
Scort, Patrick, pays subsidy, 33.
Scot, John, priory tenant, 149.
— Thomas, pays subsidy, 34.
Scotch meadows, tenement, 73, 96.
Scotland, kings of, Balliol, 39, 244 ; Bruce, 146 ; David
I., 133-4, 142, 153 n, 243 ; David II., 244 ; Malcolm
III., 123-4, 263 ; William the Lion, 134, 140, 142 ;
demesne entered, 37 ; friendly to priory, 134.
INDEX.
345
Scotland, Established Church of, 210.
Scots, devastation by, 34, 42 ; in leajrue with Borderers,
40, 41 n ; less extortionate than English thieves,
47 ; raid Inghoe and Kirkheton, 49 ; organisation
against invasions, 53 ; burn Errington, Keepwick,
and Greenridge, 54, 66, 70 ; ravage Thockering-
ton, 84 ; invasion of 1 137, 133 ; of 1296, 137, 189,
202, 211, 244; invasion of Wallace, 137-8; of
Bruce, 146-7, 190, 244 ; invasion of David II., 148,
244 ; break gaol, 229 ; rebel against Charles I.,
252-4 ; orders against pedlars, 289.
Scotshall, tenement, 27, S8.
Scott, John, Independent minister, 208.
— William (1745), papist, 61.
— William (1761), rioter, slain, 260.
— Mr., Presbyterian minister, 210.
Scrapetoft, Waher de, master of Spital, 311.
Scriven, William, party to conveyance, 59.
Scrope, Archbishop, treason of, 1 54.
Scurr, Thomas, master of grammar school, 222, 225.
Scythlecester, Elfvvald, murdered at, 115.
Seaton, priory lands at, 141, 152.
— North, tithes, 167.
Selby, William, tenant, 102.
— Mr., papist, 61.
Sele, tenants of, 82, 94 ; laid out as park, 307.
Sergeant, official of manor, 30, 54, 58 ; infringes privi-
leges of manor, 63 ; regulation of duties, 63-4 ;
salary, 84, 102.
Seton, Thomas de, justice, 30.
Settlingstones, Sadelingstanes, priory land at, 139,
150; bequeathed, 209 n.
Setun, Robert de, gifts to priory, 133.
Shaftoe, Charles, M.I., 199.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 54, 82-3, 102.
— Dorothy, sells garden, 172.
— Elizabeth, 199.
— Mary, sponsor, 174.
— Mary (d. 1S40), M.I., 199,
— Thomas, letter of, 61.
— William, lands of, 102.
— Mr., payment to, 173.
— clan, raid by, 245,
Shambles erected, 261.
Sharp, Anthony, one of 24, 276.
— Archdeacon John, visitation of, 166 ; letter to, 221-2.
— Matthew, Catholic priest, 205 n.
— ■ Archdeacon Thomas, visitation, 166-7 ; letter of, 224.
Shawe, Roger, tenant, 80-1.
Sheldon, George, legacy to, 171 n.
Vol. Ill
Sheldon, Mary, legacy to, 171 n.
— William, bequest to, 171 n.
Shele, Shield, John, farms lead mine, 10, 83.
Sheles, Hugh, reeve, 71-3.
Sheley, Anthony, tenant, 72.
Shelle, Bartholemew, tenant, 73.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 73.
— Hugh, tenant, 73-5.
— John, tenant, 73, 76, 79.
— Renne, tenant, 73-4.
Sheridan, R. B., partnership of, 304.
Sheriffs, kings', cannot enter regality, 25.
Shield, Shele, Anthony, tenant, 88.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 88.
— Henry, tenant, 97.
— Hugh (1547), tenant, 85.
— Hugh (1608), tenant, 87-8, 97, 103.
— Hugh (1672), sworn man, 27.
— John (1608), tenant, 89, 95.
— John (1672), constable, 27.
— John (1745), constable, 61.
— Leonard, tenant, S8-9, 97.
— Nicholas, tenant, 95.
Shields, meaning of, 18.
Short, William, tenant, 85.
Shotley parish, joins regality, I.
Shotton, Ralph, rioter, slain, 260.
Shrewsbury, church of St. Alchmund, no n.
Sicgan, murders Elfwald, 115.
Siddle, George, rioter, slain, 260.
Silksworth, priory lands at, 153.
Simondbum parish, joins regality, I ; rioters from, 260.
Simondeburne, Roger de, pays subsidy, 34.
Simpson, Henry, gift to grammar school, 219.
— James, brickmaker, 290.
— William (1479), priory tenant, 149.
— William (1547), forester, 78-g.
Sinclair, William, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Sinderhope, tenements, 95.
Singleton, Michael, Catholic priest, 205.
Sipton, lead working at, 12.
— shield, tenement, 72, 95.
Skinners' and Glovers' company, rules, 270-4.
Skirpenbeck, Bridelington, rector of, 65.
Skypton, Robert de, bailiff, 64 ; gift to priory, 139.
Slaitbum, rector of, 65.
Slaley, tithes of, 57, 159; priory lands at, 140, t,!,
158 ; Durham rights over church, 143.
— parish, joins regality, i ; bequest to poor of, 171 n ;
rioters from, 260.
44
346
INDEX.
Slaveley, Gilbert de, gift to priory, 140.
Slingsby, desires Abbey house, 247-9.
Slype, priory, 187.
Small burns, tenement, 27, 76, 98.
Smeaton, engineer of bridge, 266.
Smelting sike, property of church, 166.
Smith, Christopher, master of grammar school, 224.
— Edward, charity of 219; detains money, 210; one
of 24, 276.
— Elizabeth, amerced, 283.
— Jane, tenant, 92.
— John, amerced, 286.
-- Martin, tenant, 92.
— Richard, tenant, 92.
— Robert, Presbyterian minister, 210.
— Roger, tenant, 92.
— Rowland, tenant, 100.
— Thomas, tenant, 100.
— William (160S), tenant, 92, 100.
— William (1652), payment to, 220 ; rated, 254.
— William (1693), quarry keeper, 289.
Smithson, Thomas, prior, 165 ; erects rood screen, 194.
Smythe, Christopher, tenant, 68.
— Thomas, tenant, 79, 81.
— William, tenant, 68.
Snape, tenement, 91.
Snawdon, John, fined, 279.
Somerset, duke of, executed, 155, 245.
Sompting, string course in church, 1 79.
Soulbye, Sowelbye, John, detains money, 220 n ;
affearer, 277.
— Lawrence, tenant, 93.
— Matthew, tenant, 93.
— William, freeholder, 87, 93.
South Shields, marine school, 225.
Southwell church, 130, 184.
Sovvreby, Thomas, wife of tenant. Si.
Spain, John, tenant, 68.
— Robert (1547), tenant, 68.
— Robert (1608), tenant, 100.
— Thomas, tenant, 100.
— William, tenant, 68.
Spake, Edward, tenant, 68.
Sparke, Arthur, tenant, 93, 219 n.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 87, 89.
— Hugh (160S), tenant, 87.
— Hugh (1644), rated, 254 ; fined, 278 n.
— ■ Jane, tenant, 88.
— John (1608), tenant, 92; governor of grammar
school, 211.
Sparke, John (1661), fined, 279, 284.
— John (1679), constable, 27.
— Mabel, tenant, 95.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 89, 93.
— Thomas (1679), sworn man, 27.
— William (1547), reeve of Kecniey, 71, 76.
— William (1608), tenant, 93.
— family, M.I., 199.
Sparty lea, tenement, 72, 96.
Spartj'well, lead mine, 10; tenement, 75, 98.
Spavyne, William, priory tenant, 149.
Spearman, Ralph, descent of, 301.
Speed, John, legacy to, 172.
Spern, Ralph, pays subsidy, 33.
Spital. See St. Giles' hospital.
— East Allendale, 72.
Sproh, priest, 121, 201.
Spumston, George, tenant, 92.
Stackhouse, Thomas, army chaplain, 207.
— Thomas (1702), master of grammar school, 224.
Stagshaw, inherited, 57 ; bought, 302.
— Bank Fair, 19.
Stainton-le-Street, priory property, 135, 159.
Stalls, the priory, 194.
Stamfordham, dispute about advowson, 136; priory
property at, 141 ; Durham bishops' rights to,
•43-
— parish, joins regality, i.
Stampoe, Richard, a 'foreigner', 287.
Standard, battle of the, 133.
Stanecroft, priory property at, 140.
Stangend rigg, elevation of, 7, 18.
Stannington, priory lands at, 141, 152, 158.
Stanstil, John del, pays subsidy, 33.
Staples, tenement, 78.
Starler, Robert, pays subsidy, 32.
Steed, tithes of, 167.
Steel, hamlet, 78 ; smelting mill near, 13 ; priory lands
at, 140, 151.
— East Allendale, 73, 95.
Steer, Benoni, curate, 169 ; lecturer, 172 ; governor of
grammar school, 219 n.
Stelden, priory property at, 140, 151.
Stelling, priory lands at, 141, 152, 158.
Stephen, King, 9, 133.
Stevenson, John (1547), tenant, 80.
— John (1608), freeholder, 87.
— Ralph, tenant, 73-4.
— Robert, tenant, 80.
— Thomas, tenant, 96.
INDEX.
347
Stewards of manor appointed by bailiff, 28 n ; office
held by Fenwicks, 58 ; protests against action, 63 ;
duties, 64, 66 ; salary, 84 ; list of, 64-6.
Stewart, Rev. Peter, legacy to, 172.
Stirling, battle of, 137.
Stirpot, Adam, pays subsidy, 31.
Stobart, John, gift to Methodists, 208-9.
Stobbs, Nicholas, papist, 61.
— Ralph, papist, 61.
— William, papist, 61.
Stobbylee, tenement, 78, 94.
Stochell, Stokehalle, Archibald, tenant, 80, 83.
— Nicholas, tenant, 80.
— Robert, priory tenant, 149.
Stocksfield, priory lands at, 141, 151, 158.
Stodelond, John, pays subsidy, 33.
Stokewall, John, tenant, 82.
Stokoe, Alexander, master of grammar school, 224.
— (Carr) Alice, married, 302.
— Anthony, detains money, 220 n ; constable, 277.
— Cuthbert, tenant, 92.
— Elizabeth, tenant, 98.
— George, tenant, 92.
— Gerard, tenant, 88.
— Henry, detains money, 220 n ; searcher, 285.
— John, tenant, 94.
— Matthew, payment to, 220.
— Nicholas, tenant, 94.
— Richard, master of grammar school, 224.
— William (1661), market keeper, 277; amerced,
286-7.
— William (1745), papist, 61.
Stone, Edward, tenant, 72.
Stonecroft, priory properly, 139, 150; acquired by
Gibsons, 302.
Stonyhill, tenement, 89.
Stoode, John, tenant, 73.
Storoure, Robert, pays subsidy, 33.
Storthwayte, Richard, master of Spital, 311.
Story, Robert, tenant, 67-8.
— Thomas (1608), freeholder, 87, 99.
— Thomas, Catholic priest, 205 n.
Stotsfold, tenement, 77, 91.
Stouste, William, tenant, 71.
Stout, Christopher, tenant, 85.
— Edward (1547), tenant, 71.
— Edward (1567), a suretj', 173.
— George, accused of felony, 172-3.
— Jenkyn, tenant, 88-9.
— John (1547), tenant, 71, 85.
Stout, John (1608), tenant, 96.
— Richard, tenant, 89.
— Robert, tenant, 80, 83.
— Rowland, tenant, 71, 76, 85.
— Thomas (1547), tenant, 86.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 88, 96.
— William, tenant, 98.
Straight, Edward, Presbyterian, 209 n.
Strasburg university, 169.
Street names, Hexham, 305-8.
Stripehouse, Trepeshill, tenement, 73, 96.
Stuart, house of, loyalty to, 60.
Stubbes, John, tenant, 96.
— William, tenant, 98.
Stublick dyke, 3 ; course of, 4.
Studdon, tenement, 73, 95.
Studholme, George, papist, 257.
Stycas, discovery of, 242-3.
Sub-prior, official of priory, 126, 128-9 > resists dis-
solution, 160, 163 n.
Subsidies, regality does not pay, 25, 35, roll of 1295,
31-4-
Sumptuary laws, 41.
Sundulf, benefactor of priory, 133.
Supervisor, official of manor, 30.
Surrey, earl of, witness, 268 n.
Surtees family, M.I., 200.
Survey of regality in 1547, 10, 53-4,66-86, 264; in
1536, 54-5, 157 ; in 1608, 10, 57-9, 86-104, 264.
— of priory lands, Black Book, 148-54, 157; in 1536,
157-60.
— of Borders, 228, 230.
Surveyors appointed, 27, 277 ; fined, 28.
Sussex, earl of, suppresses rebellion, 250-1.
Sutton, Matthew, papist, 61.
Swallowfield, Miss Mitford dies at, 299, 300.
Swawdell, Richard, tenant, 77.
Swethope, Warin de, bailiff, 65.
Swinburn, East, priory property, 140-2, 151.
— West, priory lands at, 140-1, 151.
— Little, tithes of, 167.
Swinburn, Cuthbert, papist, 257.
— Edward, churchwarden, 195.
— Gawin (1479), priory tenant, 158.
— • Gawin (1608), tenant, 90.
— John (1547), tenant, 77-8, 80, 159.
— John (1599), governor of grammar school, 211.
— John (1745), papist, 257.
— John of East, homage to priory, 141.
— Mark, tenant, 88.
348
INDEX.
Swinbuin, Nicholas de, coroner, 37 n.
— Nicholas of West, homage, 141.
— William, papist, 257.
Svvinehop, Robert de, accused, 37.
Swinhope head, lead working, 12.
— shield, tenement, 73, 97.
Sworn men for shire, 27.
Swynburn, William, justice, 42 n.
Syde, Henry del, pays subsidy, 34.
Syke, term explained, 18.
Sylviculture in regality, 17.
Tadcaster, Gilbert, tenant, 72.
Tailors, attempt to form guild, 290-1.
Tait, Edward, Catholic priest, 205 n.
— ■ John, affearer, 277.
— Joseph, bailiff, 65.
Talentire, John, sworn man, 27.
— Margaret (jiie Pearson), married, 313.
Tang, Richard de, bailiff, 65.
Tanners' company, 270, 274.
Tanning trade, 269.
Tarset hall, residence, 249.
Taylor, Edward (1547), tenant, 79.
— Edward (1745), papist, 257.
— John, payment to, 220.
— Thomas, papist, 257.
— Mr., Catholic priest, 205 n.
Taylorbum, tenement, 75, 98.
Teasdale (Wastell), Ann, married, 312.
— William, sworn man, 27.
Tecket, priory land at, 141, 150.
Tecket, Lawrence de, gift to priory, 141.
Tedham, tenement, 96.
Tempest, Sir Thomas, letter of, 53 ; report on gaol, 229.
Templethornton, priory lands at, 152, 159.
Tengate, Edward, tenant, 89.
— Jane, tenant, 89.
Tenter house, tenement, 77.
Tenure, systems of. See copyholders, freeholders,
surveys.
Terrarer, official of priory, 126, 129.
Terry, Edward, rated, 254.
Theodore, Archbishop, organises church, 107-8 ; at
council of Twyford, 109 ; consecrates Cuthbert, 1 10 ;
reconciled to Wilfrid, no ; his supremacy, in.
Thirlwale, Thomas de, pays subsidy, 33.
Thirlwall, priory lands at, 140-1, 150.
Thirlwall, Bricius de, gift to priory, 140.
Thirlwall, John (1608), tenant, 91.
— John (171 3), death of, 174.
— Philip (1549), governor of grammar school, 211 ;
tenant, 93-4.
— Richard de, homage to priory, 141.
— Richard, bailiff, 65.
— Richard (1608), tenant, 91. 102.
— Robert, collector, 79, 81.
— Roger, gift to priory, 140.
— Thomas de, homage to priory, i\f.
Thockerington, lands in, 54, 82-3, 102 ; Scurr, curate
of, 225.
— parish, joins regality, i.
Thomas I., archbishop of York, 22, 30, 118,121-2, 124-5.
— II., Archbishop, sends canons, 125 ; gifts to priory,
125-6,130, 132, 139.
Thomlinson, Dr., donation of, i65.
Thompson, Anthony, curate, 169.
— George (1608), tenant, 92-3.
— George (1661), allerkeeper, 277.
— Gilbert, rated, 254.
— John (1661), detains money, 220 n.
— John (1745)1 papist, 257.
— Reynolde, tenant, 92.
— Robert, master of grammar school, 223.
— T. W., bailiff, 65.
— Mr., papist, 257.
Thor, Hugh, pays subsidy, 33.
Thoresby, Archbishop, does not pay subsidies, 25 ;
appoints Ask bailiff, 28 ; appoints justices, 30 ;
enforces Statutes of Labourers, 42 ; grant to priory,
149 n ; order to repair Moot hall, 226 ; farms out
ferry, 264.
Thorngrafton, Adam de, gift to priory, 139.
Thornton, priory lands, 141.
Thornton, Roger de (1309), bailiff, 65, 146 n.
— Roger de (1429), bequest to priory, 191 n.
Thorntonbrigg, attack on, 44.
Threlkeld (Miiford), Mary, married, 298.
Throckley, priory lands at, 141, 152.
Throkelagh, Christine de, gift to priory, 141-2.
— Robert de, homage, 142.
Thurbottell, Richard, tenant, 77.
— Robert, tenant, 77.
Thurnewall, Robert, collector, 70.
Thurstan, Archbishop, gifts to priory, 126, 130, 132-3,
139, 142; appoints Biseth, 127 n; arranges
sanctuary, 134.
Tidfirth, bishop of Hexham, 11 5-6.
Tilberht, bishop of Hexham, 11 5-6 ; relics of, 135.
INDEX.
349
Tilham, Thomas, lecturer, 172 ; a Baptist, 206-7.
Tillage farming in shire, 14-5.
Tingate {ne'e Pearson), Frances, executrix, 313.
Tinker, Sharpe, married, 173.
Tithes of shire, impropriators, 57 ; granted to priory,
126, 130, 136, 139, 159 ; bought to endow lecture-
ship, 167 ; of Isell, 150 ; Yorkshire, 159.
Tod, John, tenant, 73.
Todd, Cuthbert, tomb of, 1 1 n.
— John, alumnus of grammar school, 224 n.
— Thomas, tenant, 96.
— Williams, rated, 254.
Todde, Gilbert, pays subsidy, 33.
Toluse, William de, bailiff, 24 n, 64 ; takes bribes,
37, 38 n.
Tombs, in priory, 192-3, 197-9.
Totton, William, lecturer, 172 ; sermon by, 260.
Tower, the church, 186, 188.
Towers, the two, condition of, 58, 252 ; account of,
225-35-
Towland, Anthony, tenant, 80, 83.
Trade of Hexham, 267-75, 294-5.
Trafalgar, battle of, 305.
Transepts, the priory, i S6-7.
Travers, John, steward, 65.
Treason, in shire, 41 ; March or Border, 49.
Trumbriht, bishop of Hexham, 108-9, "^■
Trumwine, bishop of Picts, 109.
Tufote, Gilbert, pays subsidy, 31.
Tunstall, Cuthbert, bishop, 131.
Turfhouse, tenement, 77, 91.
TurnbuU, David, rioter, slain, 260.
Turney shield, tenement, 76, 98.
Turpyn, Her' le, tenant, 148.
Twyford, synod of, 109.
Tydd, Nicholas, master of Spital, 311.
Tyndal, Adam de, gifts to priory, 139-41.
Tyne mills, 57, 126, 139, 297-8.
Tyne, river, Danes at, 117 ; Scots at, 146.
Tynedale, privileges, 40, 41 n ; incursion on Ripon,
44 ; government of, 49, 246 ; rising in, 30-2, 162 ;
disorder in, 53, 84 ; thrown into Northumberland,
55 ; priory property in, 150; bequest to poor of,
171 n ; men of, break gaol, 229.
— keeper of, 49, 230 ; residence for, 247-9.
Tynemouth, Cardinal Paparone lands at, 243.
— priory, revenue of, 157.
Tyngate, Edward, tenant, 97.
Tyrvvhitt, Mr., 224 n.
Tyson, John, charity of, 176 ; lost, 177.
U.
Ugthred, Tliomas de, justice, 30.
Ulf, William, son of, gifts, 133, 142.
Ulgeham, priory land at, 151.
Ulkill, second provost of shire, 22.
— fourth provost, 22.
Ulreme, Richard de, bailiff, 64.
Umfraville, Gilbert de, gift to priory, 140 ; masses fui,
154 ; tomb of, 192-3.
— Margerie, gift to priory, 140.
— Odenell, gift to priory, 140.
— Richard de, gift to priory, 140-1.
— family chapel of, 186.
Undirwode, Roger, pays subsidy, 32.
Urwin, James, master of grammar school, 223, 225.
Ushaw college, founded, 302.
Usher, Thomas, rioter, slain, 260.
Uthred, provost of shire, 22, 23, 31, 121, 124.
Vaillant, Paul, M.I., 199.
Valencia, Adomaro de, witness. 268 n.
Vane, Sir Henry, letter to, 253.
Vaus, Sir John de, bailiff, 39, 64-5 ; abolishes ' bailiff-
potte', 36 n ; appointed by king, 39 ; letter to, 263 n.
Vazie, William, churchwarden, 195.
Veteri Ponte, Ivo de, gift to priory, 140-1.
Vigo expedition celebrated, 196.
Villiers, Lady Barbara, married, 197.
Visitation of monasteries, 156.
Vitalian, Pope, sends Theodore, 107.
Vlese, Laurence, pays subsidy, 33.
Vnite, Adam, pays subsidy, 34.
Vulston, Ulstan, Alexander, tenant, 75, 81.
— John, tenant, So-i.
W.
W. B. Lead Co., buys mines, 12.
Wacy, William, pays subsidy, 34
Waddilove, family, M.L, 199.
Wade, General, at Hexham, 257.
Wager house, tenement, 71, 88.
Wages of hinds, 15, 258.
Wainman, James, one of 24, 276.
— Richard, constable, 277.
Wait duties of, 279-So.
Waland, J., Independent minister, 208.
Waldby, Archbishop, 25 n, 55.
Walde, William, de, lends cattle, 310.
Waldeve, gift to priory, 142.
350
INDEX.
Walker, Edward, constable, 257.
— Eleanor {nit Wastell), married 313.
— Roger, tenant, 93.
Walker estate, annuity charged upon, 62.
Wall grieveship, in shire, 26, S6 ; Subsidy Roll, 33 ;
constable of, 27 ; survey of 1608, 99, 103.
— township, survey of 1547, 53, 67-S ; rents in 1536,
55 ; priory land at, 139, 150 ; tithes, 159.
Wallace invades England, 137-8.
Walle, Adam de, pays subsidy, 32.
— John de, pays subsidy, 33.
— Robert de, pays subsidy, 32.
— Roger de, pays subsidy, 33.
Wallil, John de, pays subsidy, 33.
Wallington, Sir William Blackett at, 256.
Wallis, William, tenant, 97.
Walton, Bryan, account of, 303.
— Jane (jiee Fuller), 303.
— Robert, charity of, 176.
Walworth, John of, priory tenant, 149.
— John of, prior, 165.
Wanles, Edith, tenant, 93.
— John, priory tenant, 148.
— Thomas, tenant, 93.
Ward, George, surveyor, S6.
— John (1608), 94.
— John (1656), Baptist minister, 207.
— John, Independent minister, 208.
— Robert, tenant, 91.
— Thomas, controversy with Ritschell, 17c.
Wardall, John, tenant, 83.
Warden, joins regality, i ; Scots at, 133 ; priory
property, 139, 150-1, 158 ; Durham right to, 142.
Wardroper, Presbyterian minister, 210.
Warren, John de, witness, 268 n.
Warwick, earl of, call to arras, 45, 155.
Wastell of Spital, etc., family, 311-3-
Water, term explained, 18 ; Hexham, supply of, 262.
Waterloo, battle of, celebrated, 196.
Watson, Alice, tenant, 73, 85.
— Edward, tenant, 67, 86.
— George H., Presbyterian minister, 210.
— John (1479), priory tenant, 149.
— John (1547), tenant, 82.
— Lawrence, tenant, 71.
— Robert, tenant, 83.
— Rowland, priory tenant, 149.
— William (1547), tenant, 75.
— William (1761), rioter, slain, 260.
Watts, Dr., 304,
Wauton, John de, bailiff, 65.
Weardale, lead mines, 9 ; danger of, 49.
Weavers' company, 270.
Webb, Adam de, 39 n.
Webster, Augustine, fate of, 163 n.
Weldon, Colonel, 254.
Weir, Cuthbert, 257.
Welhope head, lead mine, 12.
Well, term explained, 18,
Welle, Henry del, pays subsidy, 31.
— Sampson del, pays subsidy, 33.
Welles, John, piior, 165.
Wentworth, Diana (nee Blackett), 62-3.
— Sir Thomas, inheritance, 62-3, 302.
— Sir William, 62-3.
Wer, Mariota, priory tenant, 148.
Werdell, Richard, tenant, 78.
Wervelton, Thomas de, schoolmaster, 211 n.
Wesley, John, visits Hexham, 208-9.
West, Richard, tenant, 77.
West Allen grieveship, 11, 27.
Westburn hope, 57, 71.
Westmorland, devastated, 43 n ; in diocese of Hexham
and Newcastle, 205.
— earl of, suppresses rebellion, 161 ; report on gaol,
229 ; rebellion of, 249-51.
Westside, tenement, 71, 89.
Westwood, granted to Fenwick, 59 ; forester of, 84.
Whalton, Qualton, priory lands at, 141, 152, 158.
Whalton, Roger de, bailiff, 34, 64.
Whamlands, tenement, 75, 98.
Whelpedale, Thomas, tenant, 82.
Whelpington, Hedley, curate of, 171.
Whelpington, Robert de, opposes archbishop, 144-6 ;
prior, 165 ; master of Spital, 310-1.
Wheteley, Matthew, tenant, 75.
Whinnetley, Qwyneteley, priory lands, 139, 151.
Whitby, synod of, 105, 108.
— church, 187, 192.
Whitchester, priory property at, 152 n.
Whitefourd, Ann, fined, 288.
Whitehall, tenement, 77, 91.
Whitehead, William, 313.
Whitehill, tenement, 72-3, 95-7.
Whitelagh, Adam de, homage, 141.
Whiteley shield, tenement, 76, 98.
Whiterigg, tenement, 96.
Whitestales, John, priory tenant, 149.
— Robert, tenant, 83.
— William, priory tenant, 149.
INDEX.
351
Whitfield, prioiy property at, 140, 142, 150; Iledley,
rector of, 171.
— parish joins regality, r,
Whitfield, Francis, tenant, 98.
— George, tenant, 98.
— John, steward, 65.
— Matthew (129S), homage, 142.
— Matthew (15+7), tenant, 71-4, 76, ,S6.
— Matthew (1608), tenant, 95,
— Nicholas de, bailiff, 65.
— Rosa, tenant, 83.
Whitherne, see founded, 114; Ethelberht bishop of,
115 ; failure of, n6 ; bishop of, 145.
Whitley chapel, bequest to, 171 n, 176; curates of,
224.
— mill, 78, 90.
— parish, in shire, i.
Whitlow, priory land at, 150.
Whittingham, rioting at, 258.
Whyt, John, priory tenant, 149.
Widdrington, tithes, 167.
Widdrington, Benjamin, tenant, 101.
— Edward, marriage, 57.
— Sir John, of Haughton, 249.
— John, freeholder, 81-2 ; farms tithes, 159.
— Roger, bailiff, 59, 65, 102, 104 ; resides at Spital,
311.
Wide eal, tenement, 71, 89.
Wiggam, Thomas, sworn man, 27.
Wigmund, Archbishop, 21, 118 ; coins of, 243.
Wilfrid, St., receives shire, 20, 105 ; builds church,
105-6 ; exiled, 107 ; goes to Italy, 108 ; returns,
no; second exile, in ; return and death, 112 ;
Eilaf's vision of, 124; builds St. Peter's and St.
Mary's, 200-1 ; church of, described, 177-81 ;
referred to, 11 3-4, 11 5-7.
Wilkes, liberation of, celebrated, 262.
Wilkinson, Alexander, tenant, 82.
— Christopher, tenant, 75,
— James, tenant, 98.
— John (1547), tenant, 75,
— John (1660), detains money, 220 n; governor of
grammar school, 221.
— Lawrence (1547), tenant, 71, 75.
— Lawrence (1608), tenant, 89, 98.
— Michael (:6o8), tenant, 89.
— Michael (1679), constable, 27.
— Thomas W., bishop, 206.
William I. harries north, 22, 121, 243 ; referred to,
130.
William H., referred to, 130.
— the Lion, benefactor of priory, 134-5, '37i '4°.
142.
— Prior, witness, 135, 164.
— Thomas, surveyor, 27.
Williamson, Thomas (1608), tenant, 88, 95-6.
— Thomas Hopper, steward, 66.
Williamstone, John, constiible, 27.
— Thomas, tenant, 72, 74.
Wilson, Edward, papist, 257.
— Elizabeth, M.I., 200.
— Jane, M.I., 200.
— Jane (nee Pearson), married, 313.
— John (1547), tenant, 71, 80.
— J., Presbyterian minister, 210.
— J. M., Presbyterian minister, 210.
— Leonard (1608), tenant, 88-9.
— Leonard (d. 1839), M.I., 200.
— Robert (1547), reeve, 67.
— Robert (1745), papist, 257.
— Rowland, tenant, 90.
— Thomas, tenant, 8y.
— Widow, tenant, 88.
Wily, John, executed, 24 n, 37.
Windebank, Mr. Secretary, 252.
Windows, the church, 173, 192.
Windsor, messenger to, 161.
Winter, Cuthbert, tenant, 92.
— George (1547), tenant, 72, 74.
— George (1608), tenant, 90.
— George (1679), surveyor, 27.
— John, tenant, 73-4.
— Robert, tenant, 93.
, tenant, 72.
Winterhouse, tenement, 78, 91.
Wircestre, Gilbert de, gift to priory, 140.
■ — ■ John de, gift to priory, 140-1.
Witfforthe, Isabella, tenant, 81.
Withngen, Dorothy, buried, 1 74.
Witherington, John, collector, 69.
Witon, Robert de, b.iiliff, 64.
Wlfeswelle, Tilberht, consecrated at, 115.
Wolfcleugh, tenement, 98.
Wolfingham, Richard de, 33.
Wolsey, lord of manor, 46 ; letters to, 47, 49 ; com-
plains of Dacre, 48 ; referred to, 58.
Wood, tenements, 73, 95.
Woodemus, Thomas, tenant, 76.
Wooden, Gill's land at, 209 n.
Woodhall, Carrs come from, 300.
352
INDEX,
Woodhorn tithes, 167 ; schoolmaster, zii.
Woodhorn, William de, prior, 155, 165.
Woodman, Antony, tenant, 92.
Woodmus, Hugh, tenant, 71.
Woodside, tenement, 77, 91.
Wool industry, 270, 297, 302.
Wooley, tenement, 95.
Workedge (ncV Wastell), Mary, mirried, 313.
Wright, Jane (tie'e Kirsopp), M.I., 198.
Wrights of Temon, carriers, 267.
Writefield, Matthew, tenant, 73-4.
Wulfhere, Archbishop, coins of, 243.
Wylughby, John de, troop of, 39 n.
Wyrkesworth, William de, bailiff, 65.
Y.
Yarridge, iS, 126, 139, 158 ; Yarwith, Yaru rigg.
Yarrow, George, parish clerk, 174.
— George (1601), bellman, 281 ; searcher, 285.
— Gerard, market keeper, 277.
Yealdert, Yeldret, Andrew, tenant, 92.
— Gerard, tenant, 67-S,
— John, fined, 279.
— Nicholas, allerkeeper, 277.
— Peter, one of 24, 276.
— Robert, tenant, 93.
— Thomas (1608), tenant, 99.
— Thomas (1661), amerced, 283.
Yeathouse, tenement, 75, 93.
Yeomen farmers, 16.
Yolt, engineer of bridge, 265.
York, archbishops of, Lawrence Booth, 44, 155 ; Bosa,
107 ; Henry Bowett,43, 54, 66, 127 n, 154 ; Thomas
de Corbridge, 39 ; Gerard, 125 ; Walter Giffard,
36 n, 127 n, 135, 139, 142; Walter Gray, 9, 139,
142; William Greenfield, 20, 24, 34, 39, 130 n,
143-6, 202, 263-4; Robert Holgate, 53, 58, 66;
John Kemp, 45 ; Edward Lee, 54, 69, 78, 85, 131-2,
'55. '57; Godfrey de Ludham, 130 n, 136-7;
William Melton, 26, 30, 34, 36, 39, 65, 130 n, 147,
225-6, 232, 264, 267-8 ; Henry Murdac, 136. 155 ;
George Neville, 154, 194, 310 ; Henry de Newark,
39, 138 ; John de Romayne, 137, 211 n, 263 ;
Thomas Rotheram, 41, 44; Richard Scrope, 154;
John Sharp, 221-2 ; Thomas L, 22, 30, 118, 121-2,
124-5; Thomas H., 125-6, 130, 132, 139; John
Thoresby, 25, 28, 30,42, 149 n, 226, 264 ; Thurstan,
126, 127 n, 130, 132-4, 139, 142 ; Robert Waldby,
*5 "1 '55 i Wigmund, 21, 118 ; Wilfrid, 20, 105-S,
110-4; Thomas Wolsey, 46-9, 58; William le
Zouche, 39, 142, 144 n, 155, 185; powers in shire,
23-5, 30, 38, 40, 41 n, 107 ; powers over priors,
127-8 ; rents from priory lands, 142, 158 ; licences
to dissenters, 208 n, 209 n ; powers over grammar
school, 212 I coins of, 243 ; rights in Spital, 309.
York, canon of, 125.
— city of, Carmelites at, 302.
• — conference at, 162.
— men from, rioters, 44.
— minster fired, 262.
— see of, holds regality, 20, 21, 118 ; grant to Henry
I., 23 ; value of regality to, 34, 157 ; dealings with,
39; shire severed from, 64, 169; Wilfrid not
restored to, 111-2 ; agreement with Durham, 131-2,
135 ; seat of bishop of Deira, 107.
— synod at, 109.
— Richard of, elected prior, 136.
Yorkists, efforts of, 45 ; victory, 155, 245.
Yorkshire, priory estates in, 142, 153-4, 159 ;
sequestrated, 145, 146 n ; canons sojourn in, 147 ;
Melton appeals for funds to, 147.
Young, James, rioter, slain, 260.
— actor, appears in ' Rienzi,' 293.
Younger, Jane, scaleraker, 281.
— John, rated, 254.
— William (1547), tenant, 73-4
— William (1608), tenant, 92, 96.
Z.
Zouche, Roger la, bailiff, 65.
— William le, archbishop, 39, 142 ; charter of, 144 n,
185 ; visits priory, 155.
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